BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

House passes bioterror bill

December 12, 2001 8:00 AM UTC

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed anti-bioterrorism legislation that seeks to create a fast-track mechanism for FDA approval of bioterrorism countermeasures, mandate approvals based solely on animal efficacy data and instruct the NIH and FDA to identify and support the development of new and emerging technologies to detect, prevent and treat biological attacks. If enacted, H.R. 3448 would impose new controls that are intended to ensure that only scientists working in appropriate laboratory facilities can gain access to biological agents that could be used as weapons. The bill also includes new inspection and documentation requirements on imported pharmaceuticals in order to prevent imports of counterfeit or adulterated drugs. The bill authorizes more than $1.1 billion to expand stockpiles of medicines, including the purchase of smallpox vaccines. ...