House Holds Hearing on Cures Implementation
On July 25, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held an oversight hearing on 21st Century Cures Implementation: Updates from FDA and NIH. The 21st Century Cures Act is legislation enacted in 2016 that, among other things, provides for additional funding for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Authorized in the act, the Cures funding is provided through the annual appropriations bills to boost funding for priority research in areas, including the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative, the BRAIN initiative, and the All of Us Precision Medicine Initiative. The hearing offered an update from agency officials on the progress of the Cures investments. Witnesses included Francis Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health; Stephanie Devaney, Deputy Director, NIH All of Us Research Program; Scott Gottlieb, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration; and Norman Sharpless Director, National Cancer Institute. A related hearing on the mental health provisions within Cures was held on July 19.
In his prepared remarks, Dr. Collins highlighted NIH’s efforts and successes through the Cancer Moonshot and the All of Us Precision Medicine Initiative, both made possible through Cures Act investments. Committee members asked questions on a variety of topics, including concerns about privacy of patients and patient data within the All of Us program, NIH’s efforts to relieve administrative burden on investigators, and progress made toward cures and treatments for specific diseases and conditions.
Video of the hearing and witness testimony can be found on the Energy and Commerce Committee website.