[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2849 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2849

   To increase the supply of pancreatic islet cells for research, to 
provide better coordination of Federal efforts and information on islet 
 cell transplantation, and to collect the data necessary to move islet 
   cell transplantation from an experimental procedure to a standard 
                                therapy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 1, 2002

  Ms. Collins (for herself and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To increase the supply of pancreatic islet cells for research, to 
provide better coordination of Federal efforts and information on islet 
 cell transplantation, and to collect the data necessary to move islet 
   cell transplantation from an experimental procedure to a standard 
                                therapy.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pancreatic Islet Cell 
Transplantation Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Approximately 1,000,000 individuals in the United 
        States have juvenile, or Type 1, diabetes.
            (2) In individuals with juvenile diabetes, the body's 
        immune system attacks the pancreas and destroys islet cells 
        that produce insulin.
            (3) Insulin is not a cure and individuals with juvenile 
        diabetes face the constant threat of devastating complications 
        as well as a drastic reduction in their quality of life and 
        shortening of their life span.
            (4) The development of the ``Edmonton Protocol'' and 
        subsequent variations of that protocol, involving the 
        transplant of insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells into 
        individuals with juvenile diabetes, have brought us within 
        reach of a cure.
            (5) Islet cell transplants have been hailed as the most 
        promising development in diabetes since the discovery of 
        insulin.
            (6) Currently 80 percent of the approximately 70 patients 
        who have received islet cell transplants using variations of 
        the Edmonton Protocol have maintained normal glucose levels 
        without insulin injections after 1 year.
            (7) One of the key hurdles in expanding the number of 
        patients enrolled in these protocols is the insufficient number 
        of pancreases available for islet cell transplantation.
            (8) The Federal Government should promote policies and 
        regulations to increase the supply of pancreases for research, 
        to coordinate efforts and information in the emerging area of 
        islet cell transplantation, and to collect the data necessary 
        to move islet cell transplantation from an experimental 
        procedure to a standard therapy covered by insurance.

SEC. 3. ORGAN PROCUREMENT ORGANIZATION CERTIFICATION.

    Section 371 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 273) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Pancreases procured by an organ procurement organization and 
used for islet cell transplantation or research shall be counted for 
purposes of certification or recertification under subsection (b).''.

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON ISLET CELL TRANSPLANTATION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established within the Department of 
Health and Human Services the Interagency Committee on Islet Cell 
Transplantation (in this section referred to as the ``Committee'').
    (b) Membership.--The Committee shall be composed of a 
representative from--
            (1) the National Institute on Diabetes and Digestive Kidney 
        Diseases, who shall serve as chairperson of the Committee;
            (2) the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 
        Diseases;
            (3) the National Institute of Environmental Health 
        Sciences;
            (4) the Health Resources and Services Administration;
            (5) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;
            (6) the Department of Defense;
            (7) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
            (8) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and
            (9) other agencies and National Institutes of Health 
        representatives as determined appropriate by the chairperson 
        and Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) Study.--The Committee shall conduct a study of--
                    (A) the adequacy of Federal research funding for 
                taking advantage of scientific opportunities relating 
                to islet cell transplantation;
                    (B) current policies and regulations affecting the 
                supply of pancreases for islet cell transplantation;
                    (C) the effect of xenotransplantation on advancing 
                islet cell transplantation;
                    (D) the effect of United Network for Organ Sharing 
                variances on pancreas retrieval and islet cell 
                transplantation; and
                    (E) the existing mechanisms to collect and 
                coordinate outcome data from existing islet cell 
                transplantation trials.
            (2) Recommendations.--The Committee shall develop 
        recommendations concerning the matters studied under paragraph 
        (1).
            (3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Committee 
        shall submit a report to the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services and the appropriate committees of Congress that shall 
        contain a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of 
        the Committee, together with recommendations for such 
        legislation and administrative actions as the committee 
        considers appropriate to increase the supply of pancreases 
        available for islet cell transplantation.

SEC. 5. STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
request that the Institute of Medicine conduct, or contract with 
another entity to conduct, a study on the impact of islet cell 
transplantation on the health-related quality of life and the economic 
outcomes for individuals with juvenile diabetes and the cost-
effectiveness of such treatment.
    (b) Matters Studied.--The study authorized under this section shall 
examine and consider the health-related quality of life of juvenile 
diabetes patients before and after pancreatic cell transplantation. 
Outcome measures shall include--
            (1) clinical outcomes, including episodes of hypoglycemia 
        unawareness and the long-term development of diabetes-related 
        clinical complications, including nephropathy, neuropathy, 
        retinopathy, and vascular disease;
            (2) health-related quality of life outcomes, including 
        patient levels of worry with respect to fear of hypoglycemia 
        episodes, the ability to perform basic life and work-associated 
        functions, and the impact on the quality of life of family 
        members and caregivers; and
            (3) the cost-effectiveness of pancreatic islet cell 
        transplantation, as compared to both standard medical 
        management (such as continued daily insulin injections) and 
        whole pancreas transplantation, for patients with juvenile 
        diabetes.
    (c) Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.--Cost-effectiveness analysis, as 
described in subsection (b)(3), shall include standard health profile 
instruments to assess post-treatment costs and benefits, including--
            (1) direct measures, such as--
                    (A) post-transplant health care resource 
                utilization; and
                    (B) long-term health care resource utilization due 
                to diabetes complications, including nephropathy, 
                neuropathy, retinopathy, and vascular disease which can 
                extend to include sight loss and limb loss; and
            (2) indirect measures, such as--
                    (A) time lost at work; and
                    (B) productivity analysis.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act, such 
sums as may be necessary.
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