U.S. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) and U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on May 21 sponsored bipartisan bills in their chambers that would support research, incentivize vaccine development, and provide new therapies and diagnostics to eradicate fungal diseases like Valley Fever.
“Valley fever poses a critical health risk in Arizona, with nearly two-thirds of all cases nationwide occurring in our state,” Sen. McSally said. “We need to take this seriously and ensure that resources are invested in the fight against this disease.”
Sen. McSally and Rep. McCarthy introduced the Finding Orphan-disease Remedies with Antifungal Research and Development (FORWARD) Act, S. 1567/H.R. 2858, to address the various challenges associated with detecting, treating and ending Valley Fever and other fungal diseases.
“The FORWARD Act takes a comprehensive approach to combating Valley Fever, focusing on short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies to increase public awareness of this disease while enhancing and promoting the development of novel treatments and a vaccine,” said Rep. McCarthy.
U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) cosponsored S. 1567, while U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) is one of the Democrats cosponsoring H.R. 2858.
“The FORWARD Act aids in research, treatment, and most importantly, prevention of Valley Fever to deliver assistance to our communities in need,” said Sen. McSally.
If enacted, the FORWARD Act would prioritize research for fungal diseases; establish a blockchain pilot program to provide medical researchers with access to clinical data; and create a federal working group to coordinate such research efforts, according to a summary of the bill provided by the lawmakers.
Additionally, the bill would streamline the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for establishing new antifungal diagnostics, treatments and vaccines and would create an FDA priority review voucher program for endemic orphan fungal diseases to spur development of new treatments, cures and vaccines, according to the summary.
“I hope this bill will bring a continued and much-needed focus to combat Valley Fever,” Rep. McCarthy said.