Congress could vote on multi-billion dollar medical research bill this week

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Billions of dollars devoted to finding a cure for cancer could be part of the final bill President Obama signs into law.

It was dubbed the “Cancer Moonshot,” a proposal the president laid out in his State of the Union address. For the past year, Congress has been working on a bi-partisan plan to commit years of funding regardless of who is in the White House.

The bill provides $4.8 billion dollars for research of not just cancer but also other diseases including Alzheimer’s.

One billion dollars in grant money would go to states to address the opioid crisis. Money would also be earmarked to help drug and device makers get new medicines to market more quickly. That provision concerns some critics.

“It pushes the FDA to approve products more quickly, but not to make sure that they really work,” said Dr. Dana Zukerman, of the National Center for Health Research.

Channel 11’s D.C. Bureau learned Democratic negotiators haven’t signed onto the bill. Sources said they’re still pushing and negotiating last-minute changes amid concerns that the bill lowers FDA standards for new medicines.

The bill also deals with mental health, providing new resources and investments for those suffering from mental illness.

Ever since the Sandy Hook shootings, Pittsburgh Rep. Tim Murphy has been leading the effort on mental-health reform. Part of the language from his bill is included in this law.

Republican leaders hope to hold a vote this week on the final bill.

Cox Media Group