WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. House has passed legislation that would speed up the development and approval of drugs to treat some of our most deadly diseases. The 21st Century Cures Act is a bipartisan bill supported by Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR). "All of us have known someone afflicted by a deadly disease. Most of us have seen people in our own families; my mother passed away from Ovarian Cancer; my sister-in-law had brain cancer. I lost a son to a congenital heart defect. My mother-in-law had Rheumatoid Arthritis from a very early age; my step-mother died of a stroke. We're all affected."

Rep. Walden adds, "This legislation would modernize the nation's biomedical innovation infrastructure and streamline the process for how drugs and medical devices are approved, in order to get new treatments to patients faster." It typically takes upwards of 15 years to bring a new drug to market.

The 21st Century Cures Act would boost medical research funding and streamline approval for new treatments. It now heads to the Senate, where critics feel a rush to approve drugs could sacrifice safeguards currently in place.