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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today voted in favor of bipartisan legislation that seeks better, faster, safer and more innovative approaches to treat diseases and medical conditions that currently lack effective therapies.

“It currently takes 15 years for a new drug to move from the lab to the local pharmacy. Great strides have been made in research and treatment of many diseases, but there is still much we have to learn,” said Foxx. “By accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of life saving and life improving therapies, we can transform the search for faster cures.”

H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, would modernize clinical trials to expedite the development of new drugs and devices, remove regulatory uncertainty in the development of new medical apps and break down barriers to facilitate increased research collaboration.

The legislation includes significant investments in medical research, which Foxx believes is critical to understanding the causes of diseases and how to best treat people suffering from them. 

The 21st Century Cures Act would fully pay for these new investments with savings in other areas and includes permanent entitlement reforms that would save taxpayers an additional $500 million over the next 10 years. It also gives Congress the ability to review programs and prioritize spending where it is needed most.

Additionally the legislation would apply the Hyde amendment and other restrictions that protect the sanctity of life to taxpayer dollars included in the bill. The Hyde amendment has been regularly attached to annual appropriations bills for nearly 40 years to prevent federal funding of elective abortion with limited exceptions.

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.