The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, S.5002 on September 28. As we shared last month, open letters were sent from biotech industry leaders and the the Jane Goodall Institute and Vivodyne to the HELP committee in charge of negotiating the FDASLA in the Senate.

Excerpt:

A growing number of stakeholders have voiced their support for the FDA Modernization Act. These include influencers from the biotech industry, nonprofits, and academia. For instance, open letters were sent from biotech industry leaders and the the Jane Goodall Institute and Vivodyne to the HELP committee in charge of negotiating the FDASLA in the Senate. That is in addition to the public support to the FDA Modernization Act from entities such as the BICO group and Emulate, Inc, committed to promoting 21st century alternative methods to animal testing.

Importantly, the passage of FDA Modernization Act in both the House and Senate is required for the advancement of this important bill to the next step in the legislative process. With this new development in the Senate, the path is now open for the inclusion of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 in this year’s Congress Conference report, a summary of agreements on legislation negotiated between the House and Senate. In turn, such progress would pave the way for the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 to be approved by the executive branch, ultimately enabling this legislation to become an enforceable law, possibly this year.

“This welcomed development is excellent news for scientific innovation and a key step forward towards making the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 the law of the land – which would facilitate developing safer and more efficacious drugs, faster and with reduced cost,” said Dr. Zaher Nahle, Chief Science Officer at the Center for Contemporary Sciences (CCS). “It is essential that we double our efforts now to reduce any barriers that might come up next in the legislative process and continue to advance legislations that bolster disruptive medical technologies.”

View the full press release here.