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The Senate Monday cleared the final hurdle to passage of broad legislation aimed at boosting federal funds for biomedical research and speeding up government approval of drug and medical-devices, a goal pursued by the pharmaceutical industry over the objections of some consumer advocates. The 85-13 vote cuts through the last remaining procedural obstacle before passage in the Senate, expected by Wednesday. (Hughes and Burton, 12/5)

A bipartisan bill to speed government drug approvals and bolster biomedical research cleared its last procedural hurdle in the Senate on Monday in an emotional moment for outgoing Vice President Joe Biden. The overwhelming 85-13 vote put the measure on track for final legislative approval by the Senate as early as Tuesday. President Barack Obama has promised to sign the measure, one of the last for the president and the 114th Congress, whose leaders hope to adjourn by week's end after a two-year session that has seen them clash frequently with the president. (12/5)

Senator Edward Markey on Monday threw his support behind the latest version of the 21st Century Cures Act, federal legislation that includes $1 billion for opioid recovery and treatment programs. The bill, which overwhelmingly passed the House last week, also promotes cancer research and pledges close to $5 billion for medical research over the next decade. (Gans, 12/6)

A powerful Senate committee wants all hospitals to explicitly ban surgeons from overseeing two simultaneous operations, weighing in on a controversy that has roiled Massachusetts General Hospital and spurred a national debate on patient safety. The new Finance Committee report, scheduled to be released Tuesday, follows a Spotlight Team series in 2015 on the issue. The committee will urge hospitals to clearly prohibit “concurrent surgeries,’’ which it defined as two operations, managed by the same surgeon, whose critical parts occur at the same time. (Saltzman and Abelson, 12/6)