Brooks Bill to Improve Readiness for Biological Threats Passes Committee

Press Release

Last night, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed H.R. 3299, a bill introduced by Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) to incentivize investment in vaccines and treatments for dangerous and deadly diseases and pathogens identified as threats to our national security by the Department of Homeland Security. Effective vaccines and treatments for these kinds of biological threats will enhance our Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The SNS is operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has large quantities of medicine and medical supplies ready to be deployed to protect the American public if there is a public health emergency.

"Terrorist groups, including ISIS, are reportedly exploring biological attacks with smallpox and other agents," Brooks said. "We can't ignore the danger that these kinds of weapons pose to our national security, especially in our increasingly mobile and inter-connected world. We must continue to enact policies like H.R. 3299 that will put us in a stronger position to defend our health and our country from threats, whether occurring in nature or deployed by our enemies."

"The first priority of the federal government is our national security, and today, there are significant gaps in our preparedness and readiness to combat dangerous and deadly diseases and pathogens like Ebola, anthrax or smallpox," Brooks continued. "This bill helps to fill those gaps and better protect the health and safety of the American people. By incentivizing the development of vaccines and treatments before they are needed and eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy we can respond faster and more effectively to biological threats."

H.R. 3299, the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act, ensures faster development of critical medical countermeasures and eliminates bureaucratic red tape. The bill creates a new Priority Review Voucher program for material threats identified by the national security community. This program will incentivize the development, testing and distribution of vaccines and treatments for these kinds of threats by allowing a private sector company that receives approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a material threat vaccine or treatment to be eligible to receive a voucher that allows the holder to receive FDA priority review status for any future product. Products undergoing FDA priority review are generally provided with an approval decision within six months.

The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense released a report last October that found that our national biodefense strategy and efforts need significant improvement. Brooks has been leading efforts in Congress to act on the 33 recommendations presented in the Panel's final report. Additionally, Brooks lead H.R. 4400 with Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), legislation that added Zika virus to the FDA Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program. Companion legislation to H.R. 4400, S. 2512 was signed into law last month.

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