Reps. Shimkus, Davis Invite Medical Experts & Patient Advocates to Discuss Path to 21st Century Cures

Press Release

Congressmen John Shimkus (R-Illinois-15) and Rodney Davis (R-Illinois-13) heard from medical experts and patient advocates today during a roundtable discussion of how to accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of new cures and treatments. The event, part of the Energy and Commerce Committee Cures initiative, was hosted by the SIU School of Medicine.

"I was moved by the emotional stories our guests shared today," said Shimkus. "We heard personal stories from patient advocates involved with the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Kids vs. Cancer, the Parkinson's Action Network, the ALS Association and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society who have suffered for years as new treatments awaited FDA approval."

"One father on the panel, Steve Smith, has a son who was diagnosed with a rare disorder in 1990," added Shimkus. "It took until 2014, nearly a quarter of a century, for the first treatment to win FDA approval. If that's not a sign our regulatory system is woefully incapable of keeping up with advances in science and medicine, I don't know what is."

"It was an honor to be able to take part in this discussion and hear first-hand from the people being most affected by some of the decisions being made in Washington," said Davis. "Also, to be able to have my friend Steve Rockford, who has been diagnosed with ALS, participate and tell his story was so incredibly important and moving to me."

Other participants, including Thomas Philipson, an economist at the University of Chicago; Doctors Kevin McVary and David Stewart from the SIU Medical School; Doctor Doug Carlson of St. Louis Children's Hospital; and Kirsten Axelsen, Vice President at Pfizer, brought a more direct perspective on federal policy changes that could help move our path to cures at a faster pace and bring about positive conclusions to these heart wrenching stories.

The Energy and Commerce Committee set out in May to take a comprehensive look at what steps Congress can take to accelerate the pace of cures in America. Since then, in Washington and around the nation this August, Members of Congress have participated in facility tours, meetings and roundtables to learn from and ask questions of the medical community. To save more lives and keep America at the forefront of medical innovation, it's clear from these efforts that we need serious reform to close the gap between the science of cures and the way we regulate new therapies and treatments.

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