Though a vaccine for Valley Fever remains out of reach, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) took time at the end of the year to list out all of the accomplishments made to bolster action against the disease over the past year.
“In order to fight this orphan disease, increasing awareness and funding through legislation, grants, and leveraging existing government programs to incentivize drug development is key,” McCarthy said.
A fungal-driven infectious disease, the University of California estimates Valley Fever could lead to around $700 million in lifetime costs from 2017 cases alone. To counter this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have agreed to expand Valley Fever surveillance, research and awareness efforts for 2020, under a $2 million increase in funding. Valley Fever has likewise made an appearance on the Fiscal Year 2020 Defense Appropriations Bill, with language encouraging the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to research Valley Fever’s effect on service members, which can impact military readiness.
Following a Congressional roundtable with researchers, patient advocates, doctors and officials from both the CDC and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address the disease, McCarthy and U.S. Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), together with U.S. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), introduced the FORWARD Act to address Valley Fever, though that bill failed to move forward. McCarthy has also written a series of letters to various departments seeking support for Valley Fever research and testing.
Since then, the Food and Drug Administration has signaled it is in the process of reviewing Valley Fever to be included in its Priority Review Voucher Program, which would incentivize investment into related drugs and vaccine development.
“Addressing Valley Fever will require a multifaceted approach involving state, local, federal, and agency collaboration,” McCarthy said. “Though progress has been made to eradicate this disease, there’s more work to be done.”