NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The 21st Century Cures Act that allocates $6.3 billion to combat the opioid-abuse crisis in several states, and fund cancer and biomedical research has been turned into law on Tuesday, outgoing US President Barack Obama announced during the signing ceremony.
"I believe the US should be the country that ends cancer once and for all. We're already closer than a lot of folks think, and this bill will bring us even closer — investing in promising new therapies, developing vaccines and improving cancer detection and prevention," Obama stated after signing the bill.
Last week, 94 senators voted in favor of the legislation, which includes almost $2 billion in funding for outgoing Vice President Joe Biden's "Moonshot" initiative to fight cancer.
Obama added that the Cures Act, which gained overwhelming bipartisan support, will help significantly reduce the period of research in treatment, when time is of vital importance.
