Following up on their recent Cures tour in southeast Michigan, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) recently highlighted the important momentum H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, is gaining in the Detroit Free Press. Upton and Dingell also note the importance of the bipartisan effort to Michigan families and job creators, as well as the state’s budding researchers. They write that 21st Century Cures will help ensure future leaders, “spend their time in labs or classrooms trying to solve the riddle of incurable diseases, not wading through bureaucratic hurdles."
From the Senate’s votes last week to the vice president’s “moon shot" initiative, momentum continues to build in Michigan and across the country in the effort to deliver #CuresNow.
Bill to fund medical research reaches crucial step
By Reps. Fred Upton and Debbie Dingell
Watching loved ones suffer from tragic diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s, or cancer is always a heart wrenching ordeal that can strike any family. These deadly debilitations affect people of all ages, races, religions, and, yes, political persuasions.
This is why advancing and improving medical innovation into modes available in the 21st Century and providing the much-needed resources required in finding cures for these diseases should be a non-partisan issue.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, we have taken action: Last July, legislation known as 21st Century Cures was approved by a vote of 344-77. You can barely get a Post Office named these days with that kind of overwhelmingly bipartisan vote.
At its core, 21st Century Cures is a bill that invests nearly $9 billion in new resources for a medical research innovation fund at the National Institutes of Health that will specifically target diseases for which there is not yet a cure. 21st Century Cures also supports the Food and Drug Administration with new resources to keep pace with biomedical innovation. Additionally, it includes several regulatory reforms that collectively will lower the time and costs of medical product development, testing, and FDA review - all while maintaining the FDA gold standard for approval. 21st Century Cures takes into account the perspective from leaders at cutting edge research facilities like the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, the Henry Ford Health System, and the Medical School at the University of Michigan.
Most importantly, 21st Century Cures finally brings the patient perspective to the heart of research and development, and seeks to foster better use of personalized medicine and more participation in clinical trials.
The bill is now in the Senate where Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, recently announced the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has scheduled a series of votes on its medical innovation package. This is exciting news to be sure, and follows on the White House’s State of the Union announcement of a “moon shot" to cure cancer - led by Vice President Joe Biden.
We know that bringing safe, effective drugs and devices to folks in a more efficient manner will benefit families in Michigan and across the country. It will also bring much needed certainty to our job creators and keep Michigan at the forefront of medical innovation.
Last week, once again we had the pleasure of meeting with top researchers - who are absolutely excited to find cures. We visited with young doctors, innovators, and researchers right here in Southeast Michigan. It’s important that these future leaders know that resources will be there for them - today, tomorrow, and every day in the future - so they can spend their time in labs or classrooms trying to solve the riddle of incurable diseases, not wading through bureaucratic hurdles.
21st Century Cures continues to be a truly collaborative effort. Let us know what you think by visiting energycommerce.house.gov/cures, or by connecting with us on social media using the hashtag #CuresNow.
By listening to Michiganders and working together, Democrats and Republicans, we will get the job done. Families here and across the country deserve nothing less than cures now.
Read the full column online here.
