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Senators are asking administration health officials on Tuesday for ideas on how to speed the discovery and approval of new medicines, as the House works toward a bill this week. Streamlining the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process has been a focus in both chambers and both parties. Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) have been working for months on their 21st Century Cures initiative, with a bill due to be released ahead of a hearing Thursday. (Sullivan, 4/28)

A funding increase for the National Institutes of Health is one of the sticking points for a bipartisan group of House leaders trying to reach consensus on a landmark medical innovation bill. Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working to narrow down a 400-page draft document into a final version of what has been dubbed the 21st Century Cures initiative. The legislative text was slated to be released as early as last week, though lawmakers Tuesday are still ironing out details. (Ferris, 4/28)

The head of the Food and Drug Administration's drug review office told a Senate panel Tuesday that the agency isn't responsible for holding up approvals of new medical products, deflecting charges that it delays treatments from reaching consumers. (Gustin, 4/28)