Valley Fever bill reintroduced in House

U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) co-chairs of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force joined Reps. Karen Bass (D-CA) and Tom O’Halleran (R-AZ) to introduce a bipartisan bill combating Valley Fever Wednesday.

Valley Fever is an infection caused by inhaling spores of the Coccidioides fungus that lives in the soil throughout the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, as well as Central and South America. The fungus was recently found in south-central Washington.

The legislation, Finding Orphan-disease Remedies with Antifungal Research and Development (FORWARD) Act, would address challenges in detecting, treating and eliminating Valley Fever by incentivizing antifungal therapeutics and vaccine development.

“For years, our community has worked to tackle Valley Fever head on,” McCarthy said. “And though we have made progress, we have never forgotten the critical need to find effective treatments, a cure, and ultimately a vaccine. This week served as an important reminder of that need — high wind advisories in Kern County caused Valley Fever to be a greater-than-normal threat in our community given that strong winds are notorious for kicking up the fungal spores that cause Valley Fever, making cures and a vaccine all the more important.”

If passed, the legislation would authorize $20 million to be spent annually through 2026 for the National Institutes of Health to award grants or contracts for vaccine/drug development for Valley Fever, while streamlining the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process to get new antifungal diagnostics, treatments and vaccines approved for use in humans. The legislation would also encourage public private partnerships in developing antibacterial and antifungal diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, while extending expedited approval pathways for vaccines.

“Arizonans continue to be disproportionately affected by Valley Fever, an endemic fungal disease that impacts broad areas across America’s Southwest,” Schweikert said. “That is why I am extremely proud to join my Congressional Valley Fever Task Force Co-Chair and Congressman Kevin McCarthy, alongside my colleagues, on introduction of the Finding Orphan-disease Remedies with Antifungal Research and Development (FORWARD) Act of 2021. This bipartisan legislation will provide additional funding, raise awareness, and accelerate the delivery of medical breakthroughs that medical professionals across the country are working tirelessly to produce.”

The legislation is supported by leading Valley Fever researchers, health professionals and patient advocates.