RECOGNIZED FOR OFFERING AND GUIDING TO PASSAGE PROVISIONS OF THE FASTER ACCESS TO SPECIALIZED TREATMENTS ACT

WASHINGTON, NOV. 15, 2012 – Rare diseases advocates honored Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) with the “Congressional Leadership” Award last night during the Rare Voice Awards Gala.  Stearns was honored for his advocacy on behalf of the victims and families of rare diseases, and his effort to address the lack of drugs available for the rare disease community. Most recently, Stearns offered H.R. 4132, the Faster Access to Specialized Treatments (FAST) Act.   The measure updates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Accelerated Approval process and includes explicit language for the FDA to consider the challenges of rare diseases.  These provisions were enacted as part of S. 3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.

Said Stearns, “Working with the rare disease community, we succeeded in enacting legislation that will get new drugs and treatments to the market more quickly, saving lives.  I deeply appreciate this award and I will continue to work on behalf of the rare disease network.”