Greg Walden applauds signing of 21st Century Cures Act

VIDEO RELEASE:  Greg Walden applauds signing of 21st Century Cures Act

“This plan will help save the lives of countless patients and bring hope to their families. I’m proud that it is now the law of the land.” 

Click here or on the image above to view Walden's full statement on the signing of 21st Century Cures Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today praised a new disease research initiative -- the 21st Century Cures Act -- after it was signed into law by the President at the White House today. Walden was a strong supporter of the bill, which cleared the House and Senate with overwhelmingly bipartisan votes. 

“All of us know someone who has fought a horrible disease like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. This plan will help save the lives of countless patients and bring hope to their families. I’m proud that it is now the law of the land,” Walden said. 

The signing of the 21st Century Cures Act represents the culmination of many years of work by the Energy and Commerce Committee and its chairman, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.). “None of this work would have been possible without the tireless work of Fred Upton, his staff, and his partners on both sides of the aisle. Millions of patients and their families owe them a debt of gratitude.” 

Over the past two years, Walden held seven roundtable meetings with patients and health care professionals in southern, central, and eastern Oregon to solicit feedback on the 21st Century Cures Act and how it can improve the lives of people in Oregon and nationwide. 

Of the 10,000 known diseases in the world (7,000 of which are considered rare), there are treatments for only about 500 of them. Yet, the cost and time associated with conducting clinical trials are at all-time highs (it takes upwards of 15 years to bring a new drug to the market, and the cost of developing new drugs has doubled since the early 1980s). This bill would boost medical research and streamline the approval process for new treatments to help accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of cures. 

For testimonies from Oregon researchers, health professionals, and patients themselves in support of the 21st Century Cures Act, please click here.

The 21st Century Cures Act also brings sweeping reforms to the treatment of drug addiction and mental illness, largely based off of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (H.R. 2646), a separate bill Walden cosponsored that passed the House in July.

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