Press Releases

H.R. 786 Will Streamline the Approval Process for Life-Saving Vaccines

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following statement after introducing H.R. 786 – The Vaccine Access, Certainty, and Innovation Act of 2015.

“I am so proud to announce the introduction of The Vaccine Access, Certainty, and Innovation Act of 2015. As North Carolina is a clear leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, and accounts for over 9,000 jobs in the Raleigh-Durham area alone, Congressman Butterfield and I are excited to be paving the way in this field.” 

“This timely, bipartisan legislation will ensure a smoother and more-efficient approval process for discovering, developing and delivering vaccines so that we can better protect public health.” 

“Given the recent outbreak of measles, it’s clear that this legislation is necessary to safeguard public health. I am pleased to know that H.R. 786 is included in the 21^st Century Cures Initiative and look forward to it reaching the House floor for a vote.”

H.R. 786- The Vaccine Access, Certainty, and Innovation Act is a critical component in the legislative package emerging from the Energy & Commerce Committee’s 21^st Century Cures Initiative.  Vaccines continue to be one of the most significant contributions to public health in the history of modern medicine, and this legislation will help to increase efficiency and ensure progress for both vaccine developers and manufacturers.

This legislation, H.R. 786 improves the vaccine landscape in several ways:

1)      Ensure that the process used by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to develop recommendations and evaluate vaccines is more transparent and consistent.

2)     Require that the Secretary of Health and Human Services issue guidance to facilitate the use of accelerated and expedited pathways for vaccine development.

3)     Formalize meetings between the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) epidemiology and immunization program throughout the vaccine development process to increase clinical development efficiency and decrease uncertainty and risks of vaccine development.

4)     Ensure proper access to vaccines by encouraging prompt and robust coverage by Medicare. 

Click here to view H.R. 786 – The Vaccine Access, Certainty, and Innovation Act of 2015.

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