Sens. Alexander, Murray present budget amendment to aid medical innovation

Last week, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) came together to introduce a budget amendment that will encourage the research, development and approval of new innovative medical treatments, equipment and drugs for American patients, helping the U.S. to stay ahead of the rest of the world in medical technology.

“Today, discoveries supported by National Institute of Health often do not come to the Food and Drug Administration’s door for six, eight, ten or even twelve years, and the average cost to get a single drug from the laboratory through the approval process to the medicine cabinet is, according to some estimates, about $1 billion,” said Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health Committee. “Our committee’s initiative to examine and improve this process would affect nearly every single American, and it has support from the president and Secretary Burwell, while the House is conducting similar work on a parallel track.”

The budget
amendment stems from the ongoing bipartisan initiative announced by
Alexander and Murray in February, as the duo pledged to examine the
process for bringing safe treatments, devices and medicines from the
research and development stages to a swift, less expensive reality.

“Patients across the country should be able to get new, safe and effective treatments as quickly as possible,” Murray, the committee’s ranking member, said. “By exploring ways to advance medical innovation and drive the development of critical new cures and treatments, we can make a huge difference for families now and for generations to come. The HELP Committee has a strong tradition of bipartisanship in this area, and I look forward to working with Chairman Alexander, the administration and all our colleagues to build on this tradition and improve the health and wellbeing of the families we serve.”