U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) on Jan. 12 sponsored bipartisan legislation that would support the research and development of medical countermeasures for pathogens having the potential to create a pandemic.
“Two years into this pandemic, it’s clear that early stage discovery of effective countermeasures to combat diseases that may cause a pandemic are critical to our nation’s safety,” said Sen. Burr, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where the bill has been referred for consideration.
Sen. Burr introduced the Early Countermeasure Discovery Act, S. 3489, with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) to specifically enhance the R&D being conducted by the National Institutes of Health in collaboration with academic institutions, research centers and government agencies, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
If enacted, S. 3489 would establish or continue a multidisciplinary research program to advance the discovery and preclinical development of medical products for priority virus families and other viral pathogens with a significant potential to cause a pandemic, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“This is the time to prepare for the next potential threat,” Sen. Burr said. “This legislation will help strengthen our medical countermeasure enterprise by improving our partnerships with the academic institutions researching and developing innovative products that target these threats.”