US House of Representatives votes in favor of 21st Century Cures Act

The US House of Representatives has voted 344 to 77 in favor of the 21st Century Cures Act, which would speed up the approval of drugs and medical devices and boost funding for research.

The implementation of the bill would require the US Food and Drug Administration to streamline the approval process, consider more flexible forms of clinical trials and incorporate patient experience into decision-making. The bill would mean increased funding for the National Institutes of Health and the FDA over the next five years, respectively almost $8.75 billion and $550 million.

FDA would consider physicians' experience