Ensuring the United States works to solidify a rapid response to combat future pandemics is the focus of a new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Disease X Act of 2023, bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Lori Trahan, D-MA, would work to ensure there is preparation and development of medical countermeasures in place to combat future pandemics.
Trahan said that it has been more than three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and no “sustained funding, program, or strategy” is aimed at accelerating the creation of countermeasures “for unidentified infectious diseases.”
“It’s imperative that we not only learn the lessons from the mistakes made leading up to and during the pandemic but also take action to ensure we’re never caught flat-footed in our response to a future viral threat,” Trahan, co-founder of the bipartisan Congressional Pandemic Preparedness Caucus, said in a statement. “With infectious disease outbreaks occurring at concerningly rapid rates, it’s incumbent on Congress to act swiftly and responsibly.”
Under the legislation, a “Disease X” medical countermeasures program designed to combat unknown viral threats with the potential to create a pandemic would be developed at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
The bill, if enacted, would direct BARDA to advance and support advanced research, development, and procurement of products and countermeasures that would be used to address disease threats.
According to a release, the bill would also permit Health and Human Services to dole out contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions that would promote the development of countermeasures for viruses with pandemic potential.
“America was severely underprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring our need to proactively address future threats to better protect public health and save lives,” Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement. “The Disease X Act is crucial legislation enhancing BARDA’s mission by expanding its scope to facilitate public-private research and developing countermeasures for emerging viral pathogens with pandemic potential. This legislation would pave the way for a more resilient and prepared nation.”