WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, issued the following statement ahead of President Obama’s State of the Union address. For the past year, Upton, along with U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado, have led discussions on how Congress can help the discovery, development, and delivery cycle for new cures and treatments in the United States.

Through several white papers, hearings, and discussions, including a roundtable in October at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, the 21^st Century Cures initiative has engaged stakeholders and leaders from across Michigan and the country. During this past weekend, Upton called various health leaders, including Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, and National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins, to express his thanks for their support and leadership on 21^st Century Cures. Upton also requested President Obama to consider 21^st Century Cures as an area of bipartisan agreement to pursue in 2015.

“21^st Century Cures is about hope,” Upton said. “We seek to provide hope to patients and families all across the country who are desperate for new cures and treatments. We also seek to provide hope to those who see Washington as a partisan city incapable of getting things done.

“As we look toward this new year and new Congress, I am encouraged by the bipartisan achievements we have already made throughout the 21st Century Cures initiative and am grateful for the support of top administration officials. I hope President Obama will consider joining our effort to boost jobs, ensuring that Southwest Michigan and the United States remains the epicenter of innovation, and help bridge the gap between the incredible advances made in science and how we in Washington actually regulate those therapies. There is no issue more important to families all across the country.”

For a complete history of the 21^st Century Cures initiative please visit here.