U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, R- St. Joseph, and Diana DeGette, D- Colorado, are proposing draft legislation which would create a federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). It's something President Joe Biden has called for — earlier in June, the White House made a $6.5 billion request to create ARPA-H.
Upton and DeGette are calling the proposal "Cures 2.0," a nod to their landmark 2016 legislation, the 21st Century Cures Act. Cures allowed for streamlined production into medical products and accelerated research for diseases.
"The federal government has amazing resources at its disposal," Upton and DeGette said in a joint statement. "(N)ow is the time to put the full weight of those resources to use to cure some of the world's most devastating diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and more.
"Developing and delivering new lifesaving cures is a mission that must unite all of us. The Bidens know, firsthand, the pain and heartache that comes from losing a loved one to an illness, such as cancer. Like us, they're determined to find new cures and treatments for these difficult diseases and we couldn't be more excited to be working with them to make this dream come true."
In his first address to Congress in April, Biden called for federal investment into research on ending cancer. Biden's son Beau died of cancer in 2015.
"So many of us have deceased sons, daughters and relatives who died of cancer," Biden said. "I can think of no more worthy investment. I know of nothing that is more bipartisan. So, let's end cancer as we know it. It's within our power. It's within our power to do it."
According to a release from Upton's office, he and DeGette have worked with the White House for months on the proposal.
In addition to cancer research, Cures 2.0 would authorize ARPA-H to research the long-term effects of COVID-19, or "long-COVID." It would create planning mechanisms for future pandemics and vaccine awareness programs, improve diversity in clinical trials, require reports on how to widen Medicare eligibility and more.
© 2021 Holland Sentinel, Mich. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
