December 20, 2024

Warren, Clarke Reintroduce Bill to Establish Consistent, Robust Medical Research Funding

Bicameral bill would protect NIH, FDA funding from Washington funding fights

Text of Bill (PDF) | One Pager (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) reintroduced their National Biomedical Research Act, a bill to provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with predictable, robust funding for medical research and development. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) are cosponsors of the bill.

The National Biomedical Research Act would create the Biomedical Innovation Fund, a new funding stream of $10 billion per year for select initiatives at the NIH and the FDA. The legislation specifies that the Biomedical Innovation Fund should supplement — not supplant — existing appropriations for the agencies; funds would only be available during years when Congress increases discretionary appropriations for NIH and FDA, thus ensuring that funding for medical research never falls below Fiscal Year 2024 levels. Fund dollars will also be available through interagency transfer to support research conducted jointly by the NIH or the FDA and other federal agencies.

“The United States leads the world in biomedical innovation, and so much of that innovation happens in Massachusetts. Big federal investments in medical research and development help make this progress possible,” said Senator Warren. “Our bill would save lives by making sure our researchers have the resources to keep delivering lifesaving breakthroughs and treatments — regardless of who’s in charge in Washington.”

“I am proud to partner with Senator Warren to reintroduce the National Biomedical Research Act. This legislation would provide researchers with the vital resources they need to continue diagnosing, treating, and preventing a myriad of diseases – many of which disproportionately impact communities of color. We must always remember sufficiently funding medical research is paramount to the health and safety of the American public,” said Rep. Clarke. “Re-establishing our commitment to supporting scientists and doctors dramatically improves their ability to safeguard our communities against the devastating effects of health care disparities.  Let me be clear: this legislation is an opportunity to protect American families proactively, and I believe it is incumbent on us, as members of Congress, to ensure it happens.”

Specifically, the Biomedical Research Fund established by the bill would supplement yearly appropriations for:

  • Basic Research: research on the underlying basis of disease to better address disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment;
  • Disruptive Innovation: breakthrough research on diseases with unmet medical needs or for which current treatments are limited, inadequate, or burdensome;
  • Addressing Burdensome Diseases: research on chronic, degenerative diseases that disproportionately contribute to spending under Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, TRICARE, or the Veterans Health Administration;
  • Early Career Scientists: grants to young scientists and research institutions supporting these scientists, which lead to earlier research independence and enhance employment opportunities;
  • Improving Diversity: research conducted by investigators from traditionally underrepresented groups, research in labs of varying sizes, and research at institutions in states that could improve the geographic diversity of funding;
  • Regulatory Science: research to improve the predictability, consistency, and efficiency of the review of medical products and regulatory decision-making;
  • Medical Product Surveillance: the development, regulatory review, and postmarket surveillance of new medical products.

The National Biomedical Research Act has been endorsed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Heart Association, Fenway Health, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, Society for Behavioral Medicine, Association for Clinical Oncology, Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals, Public Citizen, UMass Chan Medical School, and ZERO Prostate Cancer.

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