Upton planning biomedical bill in 2015

House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) plans to introduce legislation next year to improve the biomedical innovation ecosystem. In an interview with BioCentury This Week television, Upton said he and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) will travel the U.S. to talk with stakeholders about ways Congress can improve discovery, development and delivery of new therapies (see BioCentury, May 5, 2014).

Upton and DeGette kicked off the "21st Century Cures" initiative with a roundtable on May 6. Speaking at the event, NIH Director Francis Collins called for sustained, predictable and increased biomedical research funding. DeGette said she and Upton are looking to "restructure or tweak the structure of some of our key research agencies" with a goal of encouraging targeted research and promoting a "greater degree of efficiency and efficient utilization of resources." ...