House Moves to Protect Americans from Rising Zika Threat

Today, I released the following statement on House passage of S. 2512, adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act which places the disease on an incentive program to develop products for treatment.

Zika poses a growing threat not only to Texas but to the global community. This common-sense legislation creates incentives to develop an effective treatment for this public health crisis so that we can better protect expecting mothers and newborns.

Background: S.2512, Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act, amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to add the Zika virus to the list of tropical diseases under the priority review voucher program, which awards a voucher to the sponsor of a new drug or biological product that is approved to prevent or treat a tropical disease. (A voucher entitles the holder to have a future new drug or biological product application acted upon by the Food and Drug Administration within six months.)