ICYMI: Working together (yes!), Congress tries to speed medicine approvals

ICYMI: Working together (yes!), Congress tries to speed medicine approvals

My Aunt Ruth was a remarkable lady, active and strong well into her retirement years. Even when she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, doctors told her not to worry. They told her it would take many years, if ever, before she would feel the full effects.

The doctors were wrong.

Her Parkinson's escalated rapidly, robbing her within two years of the ability to do even the simplest tasks. I could barely make out her voice over the phone when she would call, begging to know if I knew of anyone who could help.

Whatever medications she was being given were basically useless. She essentially was an invalid when she died.

Anyone who has been in that position with a loved one understands the helplessness you feel, and cures aren't coming nearly fast enough. According to medicinenet.com, getting a new drug from the drawing board to market takes an average of 12 years, even with all of the amazing research going on around the world.

So consider that as we look inside the chambers of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. A bipartisan group that includes two local members of the U.S. House of Representatives — Gus Bilirakis (Republican) and Kathy Castor (Democrat) — is giving the public a rare respite from the normal bickering that goes on in Washington.

Instead of tearing apart members of the opposing party, your elected representatives are working together to see if they can get new treatments approved and to market faster.

"This isn't political at all," Bilirakis said. "I want to take the politics out of it."

The committee is examining the steps a new drug takes from discovery to delivery. The process includes input from the public at roundtable discussions beginning at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 19 and Aug. 22 at the Bethany Center in Lutz.

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