On Nov. 30, 2016, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the 21st Century Cures Act, according to Fortune.
Here are six points:
1. The House passed the act with a 392 to 26 vote, and the bill will now make its way to the Senate for consideration next week.
2. The 21st Century Cures Act aims to overhaul the drug approval process while also supporting biomedical research. Following much criticism about the lengthily drug approval process, the act aims to speed it up through a series of changes to the FDA.
3. The act would also give more than $4 billion to the National Institutes of Health and $1 billion to combat the nation's opioid epidemic.
4. The 966-page bill features provisions that would lessen various requirements imposed under the 2010 Physician Payments Sunshine Act. The Cures Act would not require pharmaceutical or device companies to disclose the value of textbooks and medical journal reprints that they provided to physicians. Additionally, they would not have to report payments for continuing medical education courses.
5. Opponents of the act, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), say the act could have "dangerous consequences" by weakening the requirements for the drug approval process.
6. Before coming to pass, the Senate has to give the bill the green light as well as obtain a signature from President Barack Obama. Thus far, President-elect Donald Trump has not made a public comment concerning the act.