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In Rare Bipartisan Push, Lawmakers Look to Speed Up Approval of Crucial Drugs
Passage could be lifesaver for people suffering mental illness, military veteran | A bill intended to speed up federal approval of drugs and therapies that show promise in treating diseases and conditions resistant to available treatments has received a rare show of lawmaker unity. ● The Breakthrough Therapies Act is being backed by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). ● A chief component of the bill is allowing the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to reclassify substances from Schedule I to Schedule II. Schedule I substances, as defined by the DEA, are “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Schedule II drugs are used medically, and also have a “high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence.” In particular, a group of Schedule I substances called psychedelics, or hallucinogens, have been demonstrated to help people suffering from mental illness—their conditions include major depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). ● Psychedelics could benefit military combat veterans whose emotional experiences and physical wounds contribute to serious and debilitating mental health conditions that are resistant to, and not relieved by, available treatments.
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