Courtney legislation to advance critical Lyme Disease research passes
WASHINGTON– Congressmen Joe Courtney (CT-2) announced today the House approved his legislation to combat Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses, adopted as part of the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6), a broader bill to strengthen medical research and innovation which passed today by a vote of 344 to 77.
“Tick-borne illnesses are especially prevalent in eastern Connecticut, affecting thousands of residents. Just last year, more than 1,700 people in our state were diagnosed with confirmed cases of Lyme Disease—which is just one of the many diseases transmitted by ticks in the United States,” Congressman Courtney said. “Inclusion of tick-borne illnesses in the 21st Century Cures Act will help accelerate research into treatments and cures for these diseases. Along with my Republican colleague Chris Gibson, I am pleased we were able to break through Washington’s partisan gridlock to advance this long-overdue effort, moving us closer to a cure for those infected with tick-borne illnesses, which are chronic and debilitating for far too many Americans.”
The Tick-borne Disease Research Transparency and Accountability Actis included in the 21st Century Cures Act, which expands federal programs designed to speed the development and approval of disease treatments and cures. The provisions on tick-borne illnesses create an interagency working group consisting of federal agencies and non-federal partners, including experienced Lyme physicians and patient advocates with a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints. The working group is tasked with ensuring coordination among federal agencies like the NIH and CDC to maximize research priorities.
The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to consult with the working group to submit a strategic plan to Congress within three years that includes benchmarks to measure progress. The plan must include a proposal for improving outcomes of Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases, including progress related to chronic or persistent symptoms, infections, and co-infections.
In addition to Congressman Courtney and Congressman Chris Gibson of New York, the bipartisan bill’s original cosponsors include several Members of Congress from areas hit hard by Lyme disease: Lou Barletta (PA-11), John Katko (NY-24), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Chris Smith (NJ-4), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Peter Welch (VT), Rob Wittman (VA-1), and Lee Zeldin (NY-1).
The 21st Century Cures Actprovides $8.75 billion in mandatory funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over the next five years, to spur scientific innovation and discovery by providing an additional, supplementary funding stream to NIH.
This bipartisan measure modifies current federal processes involving medical research, developing drugs and other treatments, and testing and approving those drugs and treatments in an effort to accelerate the development and delivery of cures to diseases and medical conditions.
The bill directs funds towards high-risk, high-reward research performed by early stage investigators. NIH is encouraged to use the new influx of dollars to address areas of unmet medical needs, including but not limited to, biomarkers, precision medicine, infectious diseases, and antibiotics. The measure would promote the maintenance of the best biomedical workforce in the world, including increasing the diversity of the biomedical workforce. Additionally, H.R. 6 modifies the regulatory framework for medical devices and the oversight of certain technology by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bill also would ensure system-wide accountability for the interoperability of electronic health record systems to enhance communication and information sharing in the delivery of patient care.