House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton said on Saturday that Republicans are heading home for the holiday break on a high note after the Senate and House passed the Cures Act earlier this week.
“We are on the cusp of something special. A once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how we treat disease. President Obama will sign this legislation into law next week and his help was critical in getting this new law enacted,” Upton said in the weekly Republican address.
The Michigan Republican said the bill is a response to something that millions of Americans will be reminded of as they head home to be with friends and family this month.
“The holiday season is one of joy. But, it’s often a time for families to come together and reflect on loved ones lost — taken much too soon by disease,” Upton said. “So, three years ago, we had an idea that we could do better. That we needed to do something and transform our health and research system to effectively fight disease in the 21st century.”
In those 1,000 days of researching what was necessary to reform how America, lawmakers learned the gap between biomedical innovation and the regulatory process was widening, Upton said.
Of the 10,000 known diseases, the U.S. has treatments for only 500, he said. In addition to providing funding for medical research, the bill provides additional treatment dollars for those battling opioid addiction.
Obama had urged the Senate last week to support the 21st Century Cures Act. Obama touted the positive effects of such legislation in his weekly address on Saturday in a last-minute move to rally support for a $6.3 billion medical research package that would “do a lot of good things at once.”
