Latest News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee today held a hearing on three bills introduced by Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02): The MODERN Labeling Act, Safeguarding Therapeutics Act, and the National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act.

“I was proud to introduce three bipartisan bills,” said Guthrie at the hearing. “The MODERN Labeling Act will modify how certain generic drug labels are updated. The Safeguarding Therapeutics Act will protect American consumers from counterfeit medical devices. The continuous manufacturing bill will expand on our work in the 21st Century Cures Act to increase research and development.”

The MODERN Labeling Act, which Congressman Guthrie introduced with Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-06), will help update doctors with the latest information about the effectiveness of generic drugs.

“Without updated information about how a drug can be used, doctors and patients could miss out on opportunities for an innovative way to cure or treat a disease,” said Guthrie.

The Safeguarding Therapeutics Act, which Congressman Guthrie introduced with Rep. Eliot Engel (NY-16), will give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to seize and destroy counterfeit medical devices and products such as vaccines and other combination devices that could seriously harm patients. The FDA currently has the authority to destroy counterfeit drugs, but not medical devices. Guthrie saw this firsthand at the International Mail Facility at John F. Kennedy Airport.

“If you buy a counterfeit ticket to an event, it can ruin your night. If you buy a counterfeit drug, it can ruin your life,” said Guthrie at the hearing. “I saw at the International Mail Facility that if they found a counterfeit a drug, they could destroy it. But if the drug was packaged with a syringe, so therefore technically a medical device, they couldn’t. I saw counterfeit insulin packaged with a syringe, and by law they couldn’t destroy it because with the syringe, it is a medical device, and we need to fix that.”

In 2016, Guthrie helped author the 21^st Century Cures Act, a comprehensive bill to help treat and find cures for diseases. It included legislation to issue grants for institutions of higher education to study the process of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. Guthrie joined full committee Chairman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) to introduce the National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Manufacturing Act to continue this partnership.

###