The 21st Century Cures Act passed the House of Representatives on Nov. 30 and the Senate on Dec. 7.
The legislation includes a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Innovation Account, which provides $4.8 billion for NIH projects over the next 10 years. The Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) will be cut $3.5 billion to partially offset this money for the NIH.
“The association is pleased that the bill contains a much-needed funding boost for the NIH, including $1.8 billion for cancer research, $1.5 billion for the BRAIN Initiative, $1.458 billion for the Precision Medicine Initiative and $30 million for regenerative medicine using adult stem cells,” Nancy Brown, CEO at the American Heart Association (AHA), said. “This additional funding comes at a critical time for research investment in our country. Over the past decade, the NIH budget has not kept pace with medical research inflation, resulting in about a 20 percent loss in the agency’s purchasing power. The support made possible by the Innovation Account will help address that setback.”
The AHA is unhappy, however, that none of the new funding is directed toward cardiovascular disease and that the PPHF will be cut in order to pay for the new funding.
“We look forward to working with Congress and the new administration to make NIH-funded heart and stroke research the top priority it needs to be, as well as find ways to ensure the Prevention Fund can continue to make a difference in our nation’s health,” Brown said. “Together, we can help America’s patients and their families effectively combat cardiovascular disease and eradicate it from our nation for good.”
