Bill to cure coronavirus introduced in Congress

A bill that seeks to develop treatment and a cure for the COVID-19 coronavirus was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

The Cure the Coronavirus Act (HR 6019) encourages the rapid innovation and approval of a treatment to prevent or cure the 2019 coronavirus. The World Health Organization has declared the 2019 coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

To date, there are more than 100,000 confirmed cases and over 4,000 deaths worldwide. There have been more than 700 cases in the United States, with about 27 deaths.

“My home state of Washington has recently seen an outbreak of the novel coronavirus that’s resulted in six confirmed deaths so far, which is why we must act quickly to stop the spread of the virus and pursue a cure,” Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (D-WA), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in offering this bipartisan bill that prioritizes the review of newly developed treatment for COVID-19; if bureaucratic red tape gets in the way of viable treatments, we’re unnecessarily putting lives at risk. We will be infinitely more effective in containing and preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus in this nation if we work in a cooperative, bipartisan fashion and focus on solutions.”

Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY) and Tony Cardenas (D-CA) also sponsored the bill.

“The Coronavirus is now an international public health crisis,” Jeffries said. “Congress must do the most we can to reduce the regulatory hurdles for discovering and launching a new drug or vaccine that can treat the 2019 Coronavirus before more lives are lost.”

The Cure the Coronavirus Act would add the 2019 Coronavirus to the list of tropical diseases eligible for receiving expedited review.

“When an international outbreak occurs, it is imperative that the FDA is able to test and approve possible life-saving vaccines as quickly as possible,” King said. “Too many lives are at risk for bureaucratic red tape.”

Currently, there are no vaccinations or drug products to treat the 2019 coronavirus.

“We need to take immediate and decisive action to combat the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus,” Cárdenas said. “Thousands have died and we are now seeing dozens of cases across the United States including in my home state of California. While Congress appropriates funds to address this epidemic, we must also do what we can to remove unnecessary red tape and reduce bureaucratic walls that will delay research into drugs that may save lives.”