Last week, President Obama signed into law the largest piece of health care legislation since the Affordable Care Act. The law – known as the 21st Century Cures Act – has the potential to invigorate medical research, promote innovation and speed the development of new treatments for cancer and other chronic diseases. In addition, the law allocated funding for specific work in the areas of mental health services and opioid addiction research. The bill provides more than $6 billion in funding and is a welcome relief to scientists who depend on funding for important medical research from the National Institutes of Health. The law – the result of bipartisan cooperation – may also significantly impact the way the Food and Drug Administration operates when approving new drugs and medical devices.
