FORWARD Act of 2019
Latest action · May 21, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 21, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Finding Orphan-disease Remedies With Antifungal Research and Development Act of 2019 or the FORWARD Act of 2019
This bill establishes programs to support the research of endemic fungal diseases and the development of antifungal drugs. (Endemic fungal diseases are fungal infections, e.g., Valley fever, that tend to occur in specific geographic areas and affect particular at-risk populations, e.g., older adults.)
Specifically, the bill establishes the Endemic Fungal Disease Working Group to review, coordinate, and make recommendations about the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) efforts to address endemic fungal diseases. The working group is comprised of experts from both relevant federal agencies and the private sector. The bill requires HHS to award grants for fungal disease research to local hospitals, higher education institutions, public health agencies, and nonprofit organizations. HHS also must establish an accelerated research program modeled after its research program to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria.
The bill further requires the National Institutes of Health to develop a publicly-accessible server using blockchain technology to securely facilitate the sharing of fungal disease clinical research data. (Blockchain technology uses cryptography to create a digital ledger of transactions that can be simultaneously used and shared within a large, decentralized, and permanent network.)
Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must prioritize the review of drugs to treat endemic fungal diseases and fast track the approval of such drugs at the request of applicants. The FDA must issue draft and final guidance related to the approval of antifungal products and therapies, including those that diagnose, treat, or prevent Valley fever.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on May 21, 2019.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Original | May 21, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 21, 2019Introduced in Senate
- May 21, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2858 | FORWARD Act of 2019 | Identical bill | May 22, 2019 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Advisory bodies
- Computer security and identity theft
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional oversight
- Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
- Drug therapy
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Government information and archives
- Health
- Health facilities and institutions
- Health information and medical records
- Health programs administration and funding
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Health technology, devices, supplies
- Immunology and vaccination
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Medical research
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Prescription drugs
- Public-private cooperation
- Research administration and funding
- Research and development
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 21, 2019Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.