Senate launches bipartisan initiative to reform NIH, FDA

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and ranking Democrat Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced Tuesday the launch of a Senate counterpart to the House Energy & Commerce Committee's 21st Century Cures initiative. The lawmakers plan to start a bipartisan staff working group next week and begin a series of hearings in March to review the drug and device development process and identify opportunities for policy reform.

Last Thursday, Alexander and Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) released a report describing opportunities for reform at NIH and FDA (see BioCentury Extra, Jan. 29). ...