Response from Congressman Tim Murphey Regarding 21st Century Cures, HR6

November 21, 2016

Dear Mr. Austin,

Thank you for contacting me and expressing your concern regarding medical research and funding. I appreciate hearing from you on this very important topic and for the opportunity to provide you with an update on my work to support research into medical advancements and therapies.  

With health care innovation advancing at lightning speed, it is critical that our policies reflect and support medical breakthroughs and not lag behind life-saving cures. Towards that end, in 2013 the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, started a multi-year initiative called “A Path to 21st Century Cures” to bring together stakeholders to discuss how Congress can help accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of promising new treatments for patients. Through the Cures process dozens of hearings and roundtables were convened, some right here in Southwestern Pennsylvania, seeking input and soliciting ideas from patients, providers, and researchers. Many of the participants in those events echoed my frustration that government red tape is stymying medical innovation and patients’ access to potentially lifesaving treatments. For example, I heard from a local pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patient who saw a new medication that would help treat PF delayed by the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for over two years, despite the drug receiving universal acceptance for efficacy and safety. 

In 2015 based on the information and lessons learned in that process, we drafted H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act which will bring our health care innovation infrastructure into the 21st Century, delivering hope for patients and loved ones and providing necessary resources to researchers to continue their efforts to uncover the next generation of cures and treatments. You can learn more about this process and the legislation atEnergyCommerce.House.Gov/Cures. 

By improving and modernizing our nation's drug and treatment approval process, we will be helping patients with all types of uncured conditions.  In order to ensure that progress continues in the fight against cancer and other life-threatening diseases. I have long been a supporter of research into specific cancers and diseases, and full funding for NIH is an important step to ensure that lifesaving research continues. As Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I have sought to maximize NIH dollars for medical research. Towards that end, I have tasked the Government Accountability Office with conducting a review of university “indirect cost” rates for NIH-funded research projects. This report will ensure taxpayer grant money is used for research and not wasted on overhead expenses like administrator salaries and building construction that are the responsibilities of the institutions receiving the grants.  

It is an honor to represent you and Pennsylvania’s Eighteenth District in Congress. To stay in touch with what I’m working on and latest news from Congress, you can follow me on Twitter @RepTimMurphy or you can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RepTimMurphy. I also encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter by visiting www.murphy.house.gov.

Sincerely,

Tim Murphy
Member of Congress