Senate plots innovation course

At Wednesday's Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) hearing on biomedical innovation legislation, Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said he plans to bring companion legislation for the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) to the Senate floor if he can obtain bipartisan agreement on mandatory "surge" funding for NIH. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee's ranking member, said Democratic support for innovation legislation is contingent on mandatory funding increases for both NIH and FDA.

The remarks came at the HELP Committee's third and final markup of biomedical innovation legislation. The committee voted to pass five bills. ...