A path to 21st century cures being mapped by the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee
AZBio members and Arizona Leaders have been focused since 2011 in the importance of a balanced focus on the 3D’s – Discovery, Development, and Delivery. Now, with the launch of the 21st Century Cures Initiative, becoming a triple D is a national discussion thanks to the Senate Energy and Commerce committee,
In the 21st century, health care innovation is happening at lightning speed. From the mapping of the human genome to the rise of personalized medicines that are linked to advances in molecular medicine, we have seen constant breakthroughs that are changing the face of disease treatment, management, and cures. Health research is moving quickly, but the federal drug and device approval apparatus is in many ways the relic of another era. We have dedicated scientists and bold leaders at agencies like the NIH and the FDA, but when our laws don’t keep pace with innovation, we all lose.
If we want to save more lives and keep this country the leader in medical innovation, we have to make sure there’s not a major gap between the science of cures and the way we regulate these therapies.
That is why, for the first time ever, we in Congress are going to take a comprehensive look at what steps we can take to accelerate the pace of cures in America. We are looking at the full arc of this process – from the discovery of clues in basic science, to streamlining the drug and device development process, to unleashing the power of digital medicine and social media at the treatment delivery phase.
We know we don’t have all the answers. That’s why we’re asking questions first. We are listening. We want to know how to close the gaps between advances in scientific knowledge about cures and the regulatory policies created to save more lives.
Over the next several months, members will take a comprehensive look at the full arc of this process – from the discovery to development to delivery – to determine what steps we can take to ensure we are taking full advantage of the advances this country has made in science and technology and use these resources to keep America as the innovation capital of the world.
SOURCE: http://energycommerce.house.gov/cures
On Tuesday, May 6, 2014, the Senate Energy and Commerce committee hosted the first public round table discussion under this initiative with thought leaders regarding the state of biomedical innovation in the United States and what else can be done to accelerate the process of bringing new treatments and cures to patients.
SOURCE: energycommerce.house.gov/event/21st-century-cures-roundtable
Participants
Dr. Francis Collins
Director of the National Institutes of Health
Dr. Janet Woodcock
Director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Dr. Jeff Shuren
Director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Margaret Anderson
Executive Director of FasterCures
Dr. James Woolliscroft
Dean of the University of Michigan Medical School
Dr. Joe Gray
Associate Director for Translational Research, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University
Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach
President of Samaritan Health Initiatives Inc.
Chairman of Project FDA at the Manhattan Institute
Dr. Peter Huber
Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
Dr. Ellen Sigal
Chairperson and Founder of Friends of Cancer Research
Sarah Despres
Pew Charitable Trusts
Jonathan Leff
Partner at Deerfield Management
Chairman of the Deerfield Institute
Learn more about 21st Century Cures online here,
Join the effort on Facebook and Twitter, and contribute to the conversation using #Path2Cures
Opening Statement of Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton