U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, welcomed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first GLP-1 drug for patients with metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). This liver disease affects about 14.9 million Americans.
Cassidy stated, “As a liver doctor who practiced for decades, I’m very aware of the significance of this development. It will save a tremendous amount of money and disease burden, including transplantation and death.” He added, “Medical research saves money in the long-term, and continued federal support for biomedical innovation is essential to discovering new lifesaving treatments.”
At a HELP Committee hearing last year focused on weight-loss drugs, Cassidy emphasized the importance of encouraging medical innovation while also making sure that Americans have access to affordable treatments.
For further updates from HELP Republicans, information is available on their website or through their Twitter account @GOPHELP.
