The Senate Health Committee also passed the MOBILE Act, legislation co-authored by Senator Collins to expand rural health care.
U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announced that several health care bills she had co-sponsored had moved forward as part of the FDA Safety and Landmark Advancements Act (FDASLA)which passed the Senate Health Committee by a 13-9 vote. The bipartisan package will now be considered by the full Senate.
“As we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that we work to improve and strengthen our health care system,” said Senator Collins. “This comprehensive bill includes many of my priorities, such as reducing the cost of prescription drugs, reducing the shortage of infant formula and preventing future shortages, and increasing the safety of infant formula products. personal care. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we move this file forward. »
Priorities included in FDASLA that Senator Collins advocated for include:
- The Modernizing the Accelerated Approval Pathway Act, bipartisan legislation drafted by Senators Collins and Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would strengthen the fast-track approval pathway, increase transparency, and ensure consistency of use across FDA centers and divisions.
- The Clarity of Interchangeable Biologics Actbipartisan legislation drafted by Senators Collins and Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would strengthen the FDA approval process and increase transparency of interchangeable biologic drugs that can be substituted with brand name drugs over the counter, reducing costs and increase the availability of key drugs.
- A provision requiring the FDA to issue regulations authorizing the importation of certain prescription drugs for personal use from Canada.
- Important provisions on infant formula, including the requirement for the FDA to publish a national strategy within 90 days to increase the resilience of the infant formula supply chain, the requirement for the FDA to communicate with manufacturers following an inspection and re-inspecting facilities in a timely manner, the requirement for the FDA to conduct annual inspections of every infant formula manufacturer, requiring manufacturers to promptly report to the FDA after initiating a recall , and requiring manufacturers to develop and implement redundancy risk management plans that identify and assess supply risks.
- Important provisions of the Personal Care Product Safety Actbipartisan legislation drafted by Senators Collins and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would help protect consumer health and strengthen the FDA’s authority to ensure the safety of personal care products and their ingredients.
The Health Committee also adopted the MOBILE Healthcare Act, bipartisan legislation that Sen. Collins drafted with Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) that would expand federal grant opportunities to include part-time mobile clinics and the renovation, acquisition and new construction of health centers to increase access to health services in rural and underserved communities.
“Maine Community Health Centers play an indispensable role in ensuring that rural and underserved communities receive affordable, quality health care,” said Senator Collins. “The MOBILE Act would help these centers expand their reach by providing greater flexibility and enabling them to bring clinics even closer to the patients they serve. For example, mobile mammography clinics can help reverse the drop in preventative cancer screenings that has occurred during the pandemic.
