Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement today after joining his colleagues to unanimously pass the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reform Act of 2012:

“Despite what you may hear in the news, the House of Representatives continues to pass necessary and needed reforms to the government.  Today, the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the FDA Reform Act.  This is a complex, lengthy piece of legislation, but Democrats and Republicans sat down and worked together to secure needed reforms to the FDA.  To be fair, not every member was happy with each intricate detail of the legislation.  But, my colleagues overcame partisanship and put together several needed and effective reforms to the FDA.  This is just the latest example of the House setting aside philosophical differences to govern.  I want to commend my colleagues for their hard work on this legislation, and look forward to voting for this again when it comes to the House Floor.”

Congressman Griffith was also pleased to have a chance to vote on The Creating Hope Act (CHA), which is included in the FDA Reform Act.  Earlier this year, Congressman Griffith met with Brianna Commerford, a key advocate for this legislation.  At just nine years old, Brianna was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer in the lymph nodes.  After about a year of chemotherapy, eight surgeries, and a deeply committed spirit, she beat this horrible cancer and has now been in remission for more than three years. 

The FDA’s review process is often very lengthy.  If, however, a drug or biologics company develops a new treatment for particular diseases, like blinding trachoma or new forms of tuberculosis, they qualify for the FDA’s priority review voucher program.  The CHA, a bipartisan bill, would expand the FDA’s priority review voucher program to allow pharmaceutical companies to expedite FDA review of more profitable drugs or biologics in return for developing treatments for rare pediatric diseases.

Click here to read a legislative summary of the FDA Reform Act of 2012.

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