US to Create New Drug-Development Agency

Looks like a lot of lawmakers had the same ideas I did about the FDA getting in the way of developing crucial biodefence drugs and vaccines, as the "bio-bill" has this juicy new proposal:

"After two years of delays, Congress is poised to pass biodefense legislation in December that would create a new federal agency to speed development of drugs for an array of infectious diseases that are bioterror threats.

That prospect has scientists and biotechnology entrepreneurs anticipating a resurgence of government-sponsored research that could significantly benefit the public by producing drugs that counter not just a single biological threat, but whole classes of viruses as well, from anthrax and Ebola to influenza and hepatitis.

The bill that would establish the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, was passed unanimously by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in September. The Senate's new Democratic majority leader, Harry M. Reid of Nevada, has called the legislation a priority for the December lame-duck session of Congress.

The broader social implication of BARDA, and its proposed $1 billion fund, is the promise of breakthroughs in the treatment of infectious diseases, research that pharmaceutical companies have largely abandoned in the past two decades."

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Mark this as the first SuperStrain post to use the topic "BARDA"!!

I'm glad this has bi-partisan approval, I was afraid the GOP's ties to big-pharma was going to make this a no-go.