News Release

Statement by Mike Leavitt
Secretary of Health and Human Services
On the House of Representatives� Passage of the
Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2006

I commend the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 5533, the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2006. This bipartisan legislation complements important work that we have begun to improve the BioShield program.

Today, HHS is taking important steps forward to improve the way we do business -- to make the biodefense medical countermeasure development and procurement process more streamlined, more transparent and more predictable, in order that medical countermeasures may be developed and acquired more quickly.

H.R.5533 is an important complement to these efforts, as it supports much needed late-stage research and development funding, and will allow us to make milestone-based advance payments under BioShield.

I commend Representative Mike Rogers, Representative Anna Eshoo and Chairman Joe Barton for their work on this bill, and I look forward to working with Congress to resolve any remaining issues and clear the way for final passage of this bill this year.

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Last revised: September 27, 2006