Senate taking narrow road to 21st Century Cures

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is leading the Senate down a narrower, slower path to 21st Century Cures legislation than the House is taking. Speaking at a hearing to launch legislation intended as a companion to the House Energy & Commerce Committee's 21st Century Cures initiative, Alexander asked FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and NIH Director Francis Collins to identify two or three top priorities for legislation and said he didn't want to "waste time" discussing a large number of ideas. The focus on a slim bill is a stark contrast to the 393-page discussion draft of 21st Century Cures legislation released by the Energy & Commerce Committee (see BioCentury, Feb. 9, 2015).

Alexander, chair of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, said legislation intended to improve the discovery, development and regulation of medical products is his third priority for the committee, behind modifications to the No Child Left Behind law and reauthorizing federal supervision of higher education. He said he expects legislation to be enacted with bipartisan support in about a year, and identified reducing administrative burdens on NIH-funded researchers as a priority. ...