Lance Pushes for MODDERN Cures Act

            Being a Member of the House Subcommittee concerning Healthcare, Lance has recently advocated and pushed for an updated version of our national drug evaluation process in order to have increased discovery and development of new treatments for chronic and rare diseases.  These include diseases such as Alzheimers, ALS and Parkinson’s, Sjogren’s Syndrome and cancer.  This past week Lance introduced and brought to the floor some legislation (a specific act) that he designed and titled MODDERN CURES ACT that directly targets this issue.  MODDERN stands for “Modernizing Our Drug and Diagnostics Evaluation and Regulatory Network.”  He was quoted, “Developing new medicines is a complicated, time-consuming and expensive process where the costs can often outweigh the rewards for bringing such drugs to market.” (Drug Discovery & Development 2013). 

            Representative Lance recognizes that the amount of dollars spent on healthcare and research for these specific diseases has dwindled significantly, and Lance feels strongly that the American people’s health should be of the utmost importance.  This bill will look to introduce new medicines by removing barriers to treatment because of the growing numbers of Americans who are suffering from these types of disorders.  The number now has jumped to over 30 million people alone in the United States (Drug Discovery & Development 2013).  The bill will also focus specifically on dormant therapies, which target  and treat patients with insufficient patient protection.  This way those who are plagued by these diseases will never have to deal with their medical needs being unmet.

            The support Lance has gained through this legislation has crossed party lines (strong bi-partisan support-specifically fifty bi-partisan cosponsors); however, the support of his constituents is unclear.  It seems that Lance’s constituents may not necessarily be fully aware or educated enough about the purpose of the bill to take a side on the issue.  There is little to no evidence of his constituents’ opinions.  But how are his constituents being properly represented through the development of this legislation?  It seems as though Lance is acting more as a spokesman for the American people as a whole, which is often an issue that occurs in Congress.  Sometimes Representatives focus too much on representing the whole of their district, while disregarding what is right for the good of the American people as a while.  However, what is it that the Framers originally planned for?  Should Lance’s main priority be that of a representative of those citizens within District 7 of New Jersey?  I believe Myrl Weinberg, of the National Health Council addresses this question well in her response to her own opinion of the bill, “ More than 133 million Americans – over 40 percent of the people in this country – have at least one chronic disease or disability.  Despite the roughly $80 billion spent annually on medical research and development, many conditions lack effective treatments. This bill will advance personalized medicine by getting the right medicines to the right people. It will ensure that science, not patent law, drives the development of new therapies.” (Congressman Leonard Lance Press Releases).

Sources:

 "MODDERN Cures Act to be Reintroduced." (September 2013). Drug Discovery & Development. Advantage Business Media. Web. http://www.dddmag.com/news/2013/09/moddern-cures-act-be-reintroduced

“MODDERN Cures Act Reintroduced.” (September 2013). Drug Discovery & Development. Advantage Business Media. Web.

 http://www.dddmag.com/news/2013/09/moddern-cures-act-reintroduced

(slightly different from article above)

“Lance Introduces MODDERN Cure Act.” (November 2011).  Congressman Leonard Lance Press Releases.

http://lance.house.gov/press-releases/lance-introduces-the-moddern-cures-act