This morning, the House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act by a vote of 344-77, achieving a truly bipartisan result in a difficult political environment. (I’ve blogged about the Act several times now, and the House Energy & Commerce Committee has a clear section-by-section summary here.) There is much to like in the bill (such as the increased NIH funding), much to be concerned about (such as some of the provisions abbreviating FDA review of drugs and devices), and much whose value will depend on implementation. It’s also not certain that any of these provisions will ultimately become law – the Senate has yet to even introduce its own draft bill, let alone vote on it or achieve a consensus with the House. But I wanted to use this post to draw attention to a new amendment to the Act that was introduced a few days ago and approved by the House this morning prior to the vote on the full bill.
