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WASHINGTON –Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) announced plans today to introduce bipartisan legislation which would create an American Center for Cures (ACC), within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aimed at expediting the research and development of treatments for deadly diseases.
“Our response to important health problems is arguably dichotomous,” Lieberman said. “We put public money into the NIH or we hope that the private market will have the where-with-all to produce essential drugs and tools. Senator Cochran and I are proposing a third response to our pressing domestic and global health needs. It’s called CURES, which sets out to create an organization and funding strategy for research that prioritizes our nation’s research investment towards new therapeutic products, diagnostics and cures to the world’s most important diseases and diseases with particular research promise.”
“This legislation represents a new commitment to finding a cure for diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and stroke,” Senator Cochran said. “I’m excited about the Center for Cures. We know that where there is interest and a dedicated effort, there will be success.”
The bill will also:
• Establish a Director of Cures who will be aided by a council comprised of key health experts and stakeholders who will assess domestic and global health needs based on disease burden and research promise;
• Endow the Director of ACC with the authority and resources to promote innovative multidisciplinary translational research between NIH’s Institutes and Centers; between NIH and other federal agencies and NIH and the private sector based on targeted diseases;
• Authorize and stimulate high risk, high yield research to address acute threats and small-population diseases;
• Strengthen the clinical research process by streamlining and coordinating clinical trials processes to ensure treatments are effective and safe;
• Promote the innovative efforts of small to medium sized biotechnology and bioengineering firms who require additional support in key traditionally under-funded stages of product development -- the so called R&D “Valley of Death”;
• Facilitate NIH partnerships with private industry in the preclinical stage of the development process so as to formulate a plan for health product translation and commercialization from the outset;
• Expand NIH’s information sharing capacity.
Summary of the legislation.
Section-by-section breakdown of the legislation.
List of quotes from supporters of the bill.
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