Last night, the innovation game-changer 21st Century Cures Act overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives 392-26. The wide bipartisan vote would not have been possible without the strong support of energized advocates in the patient and research communities across the nation. Massachusetts advocates support has been particularly unwavering, recognizing the importance of delivering #CuresNow to patients.
MassBio CEO Bob Coughlin told Boston Business Journal, “This legislation will be very good for the economy in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and more importantly, very good for patients around the world… The 21st Cures Act was 100 percent written in a way to promote innovation to create cures."
As consensus continues to builds behind the landmark package to deliver hope to millions of patients and families affected by disease, advocates on the #Path2Cures are focusing in on the last remaining obstacles.
After declaring her opposition to the “innovation game-changer" earlier this week, one-time contributor to 21st Century Cures, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), is hearing from a growing coalition of biotech, medical device, and research advocates back home in Massachusetts about why she needs to get back on the #Path2Cures. Patients are sick of partisan politics, and Wednesday’s 392-26 vote offers hope that when it comes to #CuresNow, their representatives will do the right thing.
Dec. 1, 2016
Activists urge Warren to support health care bill
Advocates for addiction treatment in Massachusetts on Wednesday launched a campaign to persuade Senator Elizabeth Warren to reverse her opposition to a bill known as the 21st Century Cures Act, saying the state needs money for addiction treatment that the legislation could provide.
Warren, who worked on the bill for two years and wrote parts of it, turned against it Monday, saying it had been rewritten to benefit pharmaceutical companies at the expense of consumers. The bill, which passed the House on Wednesday evening, is intended to promote cancer research and other biomedical research, and includes $1 billion to combat the opioid crisis.
Vic DiGravio, president of the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, a trade group of mental health and addiction treatment organizations in Massachusetts, e-mailed an “action alert" Wednesday morning to 3,600 people, including treatment professionals, activists, people in recovery, and relatives of addicts.
The letter urges people to call Warren’s office to say “Massachusetts desperately needs" the money to fight the epidemic of opioid abuse. …
Read the full article online HERE.
Nov. 30, 2016
With backing of Mass. trade groups, House passes 21st Century Cures bill
The state’s biotech and medical device trade groups are standing firm behind the controversial 21st Century Cures Act, arguing the bill - which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night - will give more access to potentially groundbreaking new treatments without compromising safety.
The House voted 392-26 to pass the bill, sending it to the Senate. The White House issued a statement Wednesday evening saying that it supports the measure.
MassBio CEO Bob Coughlin says the 21st Century Cures Act “will be very good for the economy in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
The legislation provides the NIH with $4.8 billion over 10 years for research programs, including Vice President Joe Biden’s cancer moonshot; gives states $1 billion to combat the opioid crisis; and provides the FDA with $500 million in funding. …
“This legislation will be very good for the economy in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and more importantly, very good for patients around the world," Coughlin said. “The 21st Cures Act was 100 percent written in a way to promote innovation to create cures."
Read the full article online HERE.
