capitol hill report: SUPPORT FOR VACCINE MANDATES, DIVERSITY IN CLINICAL TRIALS

August 9, 2021

Latest Advocacy News

• On July 30, the AAN joined many other physician organizations in a joint statement supporting COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all workers in health and long-term care settings.
• The AAN joined more than 400 other advocacy groups on a letter to Congress reiterating the need to make permanent telehealth flexibilities following the public health emergency.
• The AAN joined a letter led by the Epilepsy Foundation urging Congress to include provisions to improve medication access in emergencies in their upcoming pandemic preparedness legislation.
• The AAN is committed to intentional action to be a fully inclusive, deliberately diverse, and anti-racist organization. To that end, the AAN endorsed the Equity in Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials (ENACT) Act (H.R. 3085), which takes steps to foster inclusion of diversity in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials.
• Register to participate in a free one-hour AAN webinar “Practice Perspectives for Aducanumab” on Monday, August 16, at 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. CT). Submit your questions in advance to practice@aan.com. A recording will be available after August 16.

Issue In Focus

On July 29, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing entitled, “The Path Forward: Advancing Treatments and Cures for Neurodegenerative Diseases.” The hearing consisted of two panels that included NIH officials, researchers, caregivers, patients, and drug manufacturers. Among the panelists was AAN member Walter J. Koroshetz, MD, FAAN, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health. Ahead of the hearing, the AAN met with legislators and their staff to help prepare for the hearing, in addition to sending in a statement for the record.

During opening remarks from Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), mentioned the importance of the BRAIN Initiative, saying, “In 2016, we passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which authorized over $1.5 billion to support the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative or the BRAIN Initiative. This initiative’s mission is to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain and discover new ways to treat, cure, and prevent brain disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. By accelerating the development of novel technologies to map a new picture and understanding of the brain, the BRAIN Initiative is providing a revolutionary foundation for future research and clinical development. This work will be augmented by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, proposed by President Biden.” See more.

The AAN remains active in promoting ways to improve the creation of―and access to―therapies for neurologic diseases, including urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create a Neuroscience Center of Excellence, being a champion for the BRAIN Initiative to better understand the brain, and working to reduce patient barriers to accessing treatments. These priorities were recently highlighted in a letter the AAN sent to Reps. Diana DeGette (R-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) regarding their proposed 21st Century Cures 2.0 legislation.

What We're Reading

• More than 100 drugs given 'accelerated approval' still haven't been proven to work (Advisory Board)
• AMA, Physician Groups Slam VA's Planned Standards of Practice Changes (MedPage Today)
• Biogen launches Phase IV trial to see just how well Aduhelm works in the real world (Endpoints News)
• 3 key health policies in the Senate’s $1T infrastructure package (Fierce Healthcare)