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Strategies & Market Trends : Three Amigos Stock Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ditchdigger who wrote (28609)	5/21/2002 9:07:18 PM
From: Ditchdigger	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29382

Cards are beginning to fall into place for CPHD,,time for the gov to loosen the purse strings to fight bio-terror Bioterror Bill Finalized, Vote Wednesday Tue May 21, 5:43 PM ET By Joanne Kenen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With the nation facing renewed anxiety about possible terror attacks, congressional negotiators finalized legislation on Tuesday to enhance U.S. public health defenses against a potential bioterror assault. The bill expands stockpiles of drugs and vaccines, encourages research into prevention and treatment, and gives new tools to local public health authorities to detect and treat a germ attack that could be stealthy and lethal. House of Representatives leaders plan to hold a vote as early as Wednesday, and the Senate will probably take it up soon after the weeklong Memorial Day weeklong recess. Initiated after five people were killed by anthrax-tainted letters last year, the legislation has broad bipartisan support. Versions passed the House and Senate easily last December, but differences had to be ironed out. "The investment in bioterrorism preparedness that this legislation provides will add as much to the security of this nation as any investment we could make in planes, tanks, missiles or other conventional arms," said Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, who helped negotiate the final package with Louisiana Republican Rep. Billy Tauzin. The legislation calls for building federal stockpiles of drugs and vaccines, and incorporates the goal of having enough smallpox vaccine available for all Americans. It expands research into treatment, prevention and detection, and improves local public health authorities' ability to detect and respond to an attack with anthrax, smallpox or other lethal germ agents. Hospitals also get assistance to prepare for an emergency surge of critically ill bioterror victims. A bioterror attack could come with no warning until people start showing up in emergency rooms. Local authorities, the "first responders," would have to detect and treat an outbreak swiftly in order to contain it and minimize deaths. The legislation also gives the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) new authority to prevent unsafe food imports, and gives states grants to improve surveillance of food-borne illnesses. It also tightens rules about the possession and use of potentially toxic agents that could be used as weapons. While significantly expanding numerous aspects of the national framework for bioterror preparedness, funding specifics are handled in the annual appropriations bills. Bioterror spending has already been increased for the current fiscal year, with nearly $3 billion going to various programs related to the Department of Health and Human Services (news - web sites) alone. Kennedy said the legislation also incorporated a plan to boost pharmaceutical industry user fees that help speed up the FDA's programs to approve new drugs. The FDA also wants to use some of those funds to monitor their safety after they go on the market...(oink,oink--toss in some pork<g>) Although all the details of that provision were not immediately available, the FDA and the industry had proposed that Congress boost user fees from about $160 million this year to $223 million next year. By 2007, fees would rise to $260 million. (Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine) More from > Politics - Reuters Prev. Story: Senate Leader Backs Independent 9/11 Probe Tue May 21, 7:44 PM ET - (Reuters) Next Story: House to Vote on Bioterror Bill Wednesday Tue May 21, 6:46 PM ET - (Reuters)