In light of the recent Ebola outbreak and concerns over health safety, Congress has approved a bill (S. 2917) that would add Ebola to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) priority review voucher program, which is designed to incentivize the development of treatments and vaccines for neglected tropical diseases. The legislation was approved by the Senate on December 2, 2014, followed by the House on December 3, and is now awaiting the President’s signature.

The Ebola outbreak has also been the subject of several recent Congressional hearings. For instance, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee recently held a hearing entitled “Preparedness and Response to Public Health Threats: How Ready Are We?”  In addition, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has held hearings on medical product development in the wake of the Ebola epidemic and the U.S. public health response to the Ebola outbreak.