Guthrie Supports 21st Century Cures Act

Press Release

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Vice Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee, today applauded the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, a bipartisan legislative package that will accelerate medical innovation as well as update mental health programs and provide funding to help fight opioid abuse.

"The 21st Century Cures Act will make will make it easier for the right treatments to be delivered to the right patients when they need it," said Guthrie. "As Vice Chair of the Health Subcommittee, I have had the privilege over the past two years of watching this bill develop from a vague idea into an innovative game-changer. In the past two decades, science has made major medical advancements -- it's time for our policies to catch up to them. I urge the Senate to pass this important piece of legislation as soon as possible."

The 21st Century Cures Act will accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of new treatments and cures for patients. It empowers scientists and patients to allow for more research into the 10,000 known diseases. The bill also modernizes the Food and Drug Administration approval process, making it easier for new treatments and drugs to reach patients faster.

The 21st Century Cures Act is fully paid for and provides almost $5 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health, with an emphasis on finding a cure for cancer, precision medicine, and research into treatments for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. It also provides $1 billion for state grant programs to fight opioid addiction.

Guthrie was involved in the two year process to develop the bill and championed several provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act. Among those items are provisions authorizing grants for the study of continuous manufacturing of drugs and biologics, implementing electronic visit verification in Medicaid to protect patients and taxpayers, and requiring guidance to be issued by the FDA that clarifies the process for approval of point-of-care diagnostic tests.

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