[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S15065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CLINICAL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 1999

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, biomedical research continues to produce 
great advances in our ability to combat deadly diseases, and its 
promise for the future is vast. For that promise to be fully realized 
in improvements in people's health, we need a stronger commitment to 
bring medical discoveries from the laboratory to the bedside. Increased 
support for clinical research is vital for developing cures and better 
treatments for disease. Clinical research brings insight into the most 
effective ways to care for patients. It offers effective ways to reduce 
both the human and financial costs of disease.
  Despite these clear benefits, clinical research faces a worsening 
crisis. The Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and 
the National Institutes of Health have all concluded that the nation's 
ability to conduct clinical research has declined significantly in 
recent years. Passing the bill currently before the Senate will reverse 
this dangerous decline, by addressing the major factors that have led 
to the weakening of our nation's ability to conduct clinical research.
  One of these factors is the steep financial barrier than health care 
professionals encounter when considering a career in clinical research. 
Burdened with debt from their professional training, clinicians must 
often forego a research career in order to earn the money necessary to 
pay back their loans. Our bill will lower the economic barriers to 
careers in clinical research by providing financial incentives for 
doctors to conduct patient-research. The bill authorizes the National 
Institutes of Health to establish a loan repayment program to lessen 
the debt they must carry if they pursue careers in clinical research. 
The bill also provides for peer-reviewed grants to support clinical 
researchers at all stages of their careers.
  While the current state of clinical research is cause for great 
concern, the future of this vital health care field is even more 
worrying. Many of today's young clinical investigators have inadequate 
training in the methods of clinical research. Dr. Harold Varmus, 
Director of the National Institutes of Health, has emphasized the need 
for clinicians to have access to specialized training in patient-
oriented research. This bill will provide grant support for young 
medical professionals to receive graduate training in such research.
  To meet the nation's need for clinical research, it is not enough to 
increase the number of doctors conducting such research. Clinical 
researchers must also have the facilities necessary to conduct their 
lifesaving work. In these days when hospitals are squeezed more and 
more tightly by financial pressures, there is little room for them to 
devote scarce resources to clinical research. To address this problem, 
the bill provides grants to General Clinical Research Centers, now 
established in 27 states, where health professionals can have access to 
the vital hospital resources necessary to conduct high quality patient-
oriented research.
  This measure is supported by more than 70 biomedical associations. I 
commend the Chairman of our Health Committee, Senator Jeffords, for his 
effective leadership on this legislation. It is vital to the quality of 
health care in the nation in years ahead, and I urge the Senate to 
approve it.

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