U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has released a report proposing legislative and regulatory changes to update the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The report aims to maintain U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation and improve patient access to new treatments.
The recommendations are intended to align with President Trump’s efforts to enhance health outcomes for American families.
“Biomedical innovation holds enormous promise for the American people... But ‘innovation’ is meaningless unless it creates products that actually help patients,” wrote Dr. Cassidy. “While many parts of FDA work well, unnecessary bottlenecks slow patients and consumers getting the products they need.”
He continued: “Ultimately, it should be easier to make Americans healthy by empowering them with the tools and information they need to make healthy choices and live better lives. The HELP Committee looks forward to coordinating with FDA under its new leadership to promote patient access, accelerate U.S. competitiveness, and improve the health of American families.”
Key proposals in the report include removing barriers in the FDA review process to speed up approval of affordable drugs—especially generics—and using artificial intelligence in reviews while maintaining safety standards. In 2024 alone, generic drugs reportedly saved taxpayers $467 billion.
Other recommendations focus on improving food safety through enhancements in FDA’s Human Foods Program; streamlining clinical trials; encouraging collaboration between FDA and developers; preventing medical research from moving overseas; and strengthening recruitment of scientific experts at FDA.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is responsible for shaping federal policy on public health issues such as those overseen by agencies like the FDA (official website). The committee also oversees education and labor matters across the United States (official website).
Senator Cassidy has served as chair of this committee during the 119th Congress (official website).
For more updates from HELP Republicans, visit their website or follow @GOPHELP on Twitter.
