Momentum Building for #CuresNow

From the House Energy and Commerce Newsletter:

Support Rolls In from Hundreds of Groups Across the Patient and Research Spectrum – Supporters Echo Urgency in Passing 21st Century Cures Act into Law

Momentum is building in the effort to deliver #CuresNow. Hundreds of the nation’s leading medical, academic, research, and patient advocacy groups have called on Congress to pass the 21st Century Cures Act before the end of the 114th Congress. As Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) calls it, the landmark innovative effort is a “once-in-a-generation, transformational opportunity to change the way we treat disease.”

Support that has rolled in the last several weeks includes:

“Millions of Americans are desperately waiting for effective treatments and cures for their chronic disease or disability. The organizations that represent these people with chronic conditions urge Congress to pass the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016 in order to speed the development of treatments and cures. Patients simply can’t afford to wait – time is running out.” – National Health Council letter, signed by more than 200 patient-focused organizations

“The House and Senate’s bipartisan efforts on such legislation in the 114th Congress have been truly extraordinary and should not go unfulfilled. … [W]e strongly encourage you to seize this notable opportunity and move an NIH Cures/innovation bill over the finish line.” – Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities and the Association of American Universities, representing more than 200 research universities

“The importance of Congress funding the Cancer Moonshot Initiative as soon as possible by enactment of the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016 is without question. Waiting until next year to act is not an option for cancer patients and their families.” – One Voice Against Cancer letter, signed by 50 leading cancer organizations

“Through hard work and compromise over the course of several years, the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate HELP Committee have been able to forge broad-based bipartisan agreement on legislation focused squarely on conquering diseases that rob Americans and patients throughout the world of health, independence and time. By applying supplemental funding for NIH and FDA and pursuing efficiencies in the R&D pipeline, the Cures initiative will empower our nation to find safe and effective solutions to health threats more quickly, and deliver those solutions to patients more efficiently.” – Research!America, a 360-member organization spanning patients, universities, academic health centers, industry, independent research institutes, scientific societies, and philanthropies

“We believe Congress understands this opportunity, and is eager to act. The bipartisan leadership over the last two years in both the House and the Senate has been truly remarkable, and this legislation would be a crowning achievement for the 114th Congress. Putting this bill off until the next Congress likely means putting it off for the foreseeable future – a terrible outcome for our country.” – United for Medical Research, a coalition of 25 of the nation’s leading scientific research institutions and patient advocates

“The 21st Century Cures Act and the Senate’s medical innovation bills are important steps towards fostering the delivery of innovative, safe, and effective treatments and cures for CVD [Cardiovascular disease] patients. An infusion of federal investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is needed to rebuild our nation’s biomedical research capacity, which has seen its ability to fund promising research falter due to inflation over the past decade. We urge this legislative initiative’s timely passage before the adjournment of the 114th Congress, so that we may improve the pace of progress.” – Mended Hearts, Inc., the largest peer-to-peer support group for cardiovascular patients with more than 300 chapters and 20,000 members