President Obama Signs 21st Century Cures Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, President Barack Obama signed into law legislation that will accelerate the pace of medical innovation and deliver cures to patients who desperately need them – the 21st Century Cures Act. This landmark bill co-authored by Rep. Gene Green was overwhelmingly passed by the House of Representatives on November 30, 2016, and passed the Senate on December 7, 2016.

“More than two years ago we set out an ambitious goal of accelerating the pace of medical innovation and delivering cures to patients who desperately need them,” said Rep. Green. “President Barack Obama’s signature of the act into law marks a tremendous accomplishment and represents what can be done when leaders in Washington work together. It was a privilege to be a co-author of this effort.”

The 21st Century Cures Act received strong bipartisan, bicameral support and will facilitate the development of new antibiotics to fight against superbugs, advance the use of modern clinical trial designs, foster the next generation of medical researchers, and deliver hope and new treatments to Americans in need.

“The real-world impacts of the 21st Century Cures Act will affect the lives of Americans in treatment for cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, or other rare diseases for generations to come,” added Rep. Green.

The most notable provisions of the $6.3 billion act will:

• Authorize $4.8 billion for the National Institutes of Health and $500 million to the Food and Drug Administration.
• Designate $1 billion over two years to battle the opioid epidemic.
• Call for $1.8 billion in funding for Vice President Joseph Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative.
• Authorize a new approval pathway that will advance the development of new antibiotics.

###