[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 25 (Thursday, February 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H535-H536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          REMOVING BARRIERS TO LIFESAVING MEDICAL INNOVATIONS

  (Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this week, I introduced the 
bipartisan ORPHAN Cures Act, legislation to remove barriers to 
lifesaving medical innovations.
  The ORPHAN Cures Act protects the incentives for critical research 
and development implemented by the Orphan

[[Page H536]]

Drug Act of 1983, which has produced more than 800 treatments for rare 
diseases over the past 40 years.
  More than 30 million Americans are affected by nearly 10,000 rare 
diseases. Unfortunately 95 percent of these diseases have no treatment. 
We cannot abandon the American patients who suffer from diseases like 
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease, ALS, cystic 
fibrosis, and scleroderma, which I treated during my time in active 
medical practice.
  By protecting critical research and developing incentives, we can 
give millions of Americans hope for the future. I urge my colleagues to 
support this bipartisan legislation to foster innovative cures for 
patients throughout this great land.

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