Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) to ensure frontline military personnel have emergency access to the latest lifesaving medical treatments has been signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“This is an important day for our brave men and women in uniform, ensuring they get the timely care they need while protecting our country,” Walden said following the bill’s Dec. 12 signing. “Today we are well on our way to delivering the newest treatments and devices to our war fighters without forgoing important safety mechanisms.”
Rep. Walden had introduced H.R. 4374 on Nov. 13 to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and authorize additional emergency uses for medical products that reduce deaths and severe injuries caused by agents of war.
The bill moved on a fast track being unanimously passed by the House and Senate shortly thereafter and was presented on Nov. 30 to the president, who signed it into law on Tuesday.
Additionally, the legislation corrects language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), also signed into law on Dec. 12, which could have superseded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) authority for ensuring safety and efficacy of the latest medicines for soldiers, according to Walden’s office.
In the NDAA, H.R. 4374 streamlines FDA and Department of Defense medication-approval processes to enable the additional emergency uses for medical products.
“Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line for this country and they deserve to have the earliest possible access to medical products that could save their lives on the battlefield,” Walden said in a speech on the House floor when the bill passed in November.
Specifically, he said, H.R. 4374 addresses the critical issue of military access to the newest available products by expanding the circumstances under which emergency use authorizations can be issued. The bill also establishes an expedited pathway to full approval of products that the Secretary of Defense requests.
In addition to drugs, the legislation covers regenerative advanced therapy, blood and blood products, and vaccine medical products and projects, among other medical products.