US pharma and biotech bodies praise 21st Century Cures act

Representative bodies for the US pharma and biotech industries have spoken in support of the 21st Century Cures legislation passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congressman Fred Upton’s 21st Century Cures act is moving forward after a 51-0 vote, passing it out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. It is a bipartisan initiative to accelerate the development of new medical treatment, intended to speed up the pace at which the Food and Drug administration approves new medicines for conditions currently lacking cures, as well as a lengthy list of other proposals.

John Castellani, chief executive of PhRMA, said: “Exempting future Food and Drug Administration user fees from sequestration is critical to ensuring the FDA is able to fulfill its public health mission by fostering timely patient access to safe and effective new medicines and advancing regulatory science. We are pleased to see this important provision included in the legislation.” He added that the body was looking forward to bill consideration by the House of Representatives and continued work with the Senate to address these issues.