I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1415 

To facilitate effective research on and treatment of neglected tropical diseases, 

including Ebola, through coordinated domestic and international efforts. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2017 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. MEEKS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To facilitate effective research on and treatment of neglected 

tropical diseases, including Ebola, through coordinated 

domestic and international efforts. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘End Neglected Trop5 ical Diseases Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents of this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1415 IH

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 4. Findings. 

Sec. 5. Definition. 

Sec. 6. Rule of construction. 

TITLE I—FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

Sec. 101. Expansion of United States Agency for International Development’s 

Neglected Tropical Diseases Program. 

Sec. 102. Actions by Department of State. 

Sec. 103. Multilateral development and health institutions. 

TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Sec. 201. Promoting efforts through interagency working groups and international forums. 

Sec. 202. Report on neglected tropical diseases in the United States. 

Sec. 203. Centers of excellence. 

Sec. 204. Panel on worm infection solutions. 

1 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

2 It is the policy of the United States to support a 

3 broad range of implementation and research and develop4 ment activities that work toward the achievement of cost5 effective and sustainable treatment, control and, where 

6 possible, elimination of neglected tropical diseases, includ7 ing Ebola, for the economic and social well-being for all 

8 people. 

9 SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 

10 Congress finds the following: 

11 (1) The World Health Organization (WHO) has 

12 identified 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). 

13 Approximately two billion people—almost one-third 

14 of the world’s population—are at risk of contracting 

15 an NTD, and more than 1.4 billion people are cur16 rently afflicted with one or more NTDs. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (2) In 2013, WHO adopted a comprehensive 

2 resolution on NTDs recognizing that increased na3 tional and international investments in prevention 

4 and control of neglected tropical diseases have suc5 ceeded in improving health and social well-being in 

6 many countries. 

7 (3) NTDs have an enormous impact in terms of 

8 disease burden and quality of life. NTDs cause the 

9 loss of up to 534,000 lives and 57 million disability10 adjusted life years each year. NTDs surpass both 

11 malaria and tuberculosis in causing greater loss of 

12 life-years to disability and premature death. Many 

13 NTDs cause disfigurement and disability, leading to 

14 stigma, social discrimination, and societal marginali15 zation. 

16 (4) NTDs create an economic burden of billions 

17 of dollars through the loss of productivity and high 

18 costs of health care required for treatment. People 

19 afflicted by NTDs are less productive than their 

20 healthy counterparts. NTDs jeopardize the ability of 

21 people to attend work and school, or to produce at 

22 full capacity. For example, controlling one NTD, 

23 hookworm, in children can result in a 43-percent in24 crease in future wage earnings. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (5) The social, economic, and health burden of 

2 NTDs falls primarily on low- and middle-income 

3 countries, where access to safe water, sanitation, 

4 and health care is limited. At least 100 countries 

5 face two endemic NTD burdens, and 30 countries 

6 carry six or more endemic NTDs. 

7 (6) NTDs are not confined to the developing 

8 world, however. Several NTD outbreaks have been 

9 reported in the United States and other developed 

10 countries, especially among the poor. In the United 

11 States, NTDs disproportionately affect people living 

12 in poverty, and especially minorities, including up to 

13 2.8 million African-Americans with toxocariasis and 

14 300,000 or more people, mostly Hispanic-Americans, 

15 with Chagas disease. 

16 (7) In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola Virus Dis17 eases (Ebola) caused a pandemic that infected more 

18 than 20,000 people, including more than 8,000 

19 deaths. Although not listed as an NTD by the World 

20 Health Organization, Ebola shares the same charac21 teristics as other NTDs by affecting people living 

22 ‘‘under conditions of poverty’’ and is ‘‘concentrated 

23 almost exclusively in impoverished populations in the 

24 developing world’’. Even when the disease had 

25 spread to the United States and other developed 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1415 IH

1 countries, it was contained and controlled by the 

2 well-equipped health systems in those areas. 

3 (8) Many NTDs can be controlled, prevented, 

4 and even eliminated using low-cost, effective, and 

5 feasible solutions. Understanding the economic bur6 den of NTDs on productivity and health care costs 

7 can help to assure governments and donors that the 

8 resources directed toward NTDs represent a good 

9 investment. 

10 (9) Research and development efforts are imme11 diately needed for all NTDs, especially those for 

12 which limited or no treatment currently exists. 

13 (10) Critical to developing robust NTD control 

14 strategies are epidemiological data that identify at15 risk populations, ensure appropriate treatment fre16 quency, and inform decisions about when treatment 

17 can be reduced or stopped. 

18 (11) Of the 14 most common NTDs, roughly 

19 80 percent of infections are caused by soil-trans20 mitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis. STH 

21 are a group of three parasitic worms (roundworms, 

22 whipworms, and hookworms) that afflict more than 

23 one billion people worldwide, including 600 million 

24 school-age children, of whom more than 300 million 

25 suffer from severe morbidity. Schistosomiasis is anVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Mar 13, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1415.IH H1415

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1415 IH

1 other helminth infection affecting at least 200 mil2 lion people in developing countries, but some esti3 mates indicate that the true number of people af4 fected may be double or even triple that number. 

5 (12) The main health problems caused by STH 

6 are related to their negative effect on childhood nu7 tritional status, which can cause stunting and wast8 ing. For example, STH infection may lead to ane9 mia, malabsorption of nutrients, loss of appetite, 

10 nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and reduced food 

11 intake. When such health problems are experienced 

12 in early childhood, a peak growth and development 

13 period, the mental and physical damage—and loss of 

14 future productivity and wage-earning potential—will 

15 likely be irreversible. Schistosomiasis causes end16 organ damage to the urinary tract, female genital 

17 tract, liver and intestines. It also results in chronic 

18 health conditions in children. 

19 (13) STH and schistosomiasis are also particu20 larly detrimental to the health of women of repro21 ductive age and pregnant women. Their underlying 

22 poor iron status makes these women most suscep23 tible to developing anemia. Iron deficiency anemia 

24 resulting from hookworm infection during pregnancy 

25 has been linked to poor pregnancy outcomes such as 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1415 IH

1 prematurity, low birth weight, and impaired lacta2 tion. Female genital schistosmiasis may be one of 

3 the most common gynecologic conditions in Africa 

4 leading to genital pain, itching, and bleeding and 

5 markedly increased susceptibility to HIV/AIDS. 

6 (14) Fortunately, there is a simple, cost-effec7 tive solution to STH and schistosomiasis infections: 

8 single-dose deworming pills that can be safely ad9 ministered once or twice annually to those at risk. 

10 Pharmaceutical companies have committed to donate 

11 the drugs needed to treat all at-risk, school-age chil12 dren in developing countries. Regular administration 

13 of deworming pills reduces morbidity associated with 

14 STH and schistosomiasis infections by reducing 

15 prevalence and transmission rates. 

16 (15) Improved access to water, sanitation, and 

17 hygiene (WASH) can also reduce the transmission of 

18 NTDs, particularly intestinal worms. 

19 (16) The benefits of deworming are immediate 

20 and enduring. A rigorous randomized controlled trial 

21 has shown school-based deworming treatment to re22 duce school absenteeism by 25 percent. School-based 

23 deworming also benefits young siblings and other 

24 children who live nearby but are too young to be 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1415 IH

1 treated, leading to large cognitive improvements 

2 equivalent to half a year of schooling. 

3 SEC. 5. DEFINITION. 

4 In this Act, the term ‘‘neglected tropical diseases’’ or 

5 ‘‘NTDs’’— 

6 (1) means infections caused by pathogens, in7 cluding viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths 

8 that disproportionately impact individuals living in 

9 extreme poverty, especially in developing countries; 

10 and 

11 (2) includes— 

12 (A) Buruli ulcer (Mycobacterium Ulcerans 

13 infection); 

14 (B) Chagas disease; 

15 (C) dengue or severe dengue fever; 

16 (D) dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease); 

17 (E) echinococcosis; 

18 (F) foodborne trematodiases; 

19 (G) human African trypanosomiasis (sleep20 ing sickness); 

21 (H) leishmaniasis; 

22 (I) leprosy; 

23 (J) lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis); 

24 (K) onchocerciasis (river blindness); 

25 (L) rabies; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (M) schistosomiasis; 

2 (N) soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) 

3 (round worm, whip worm, and hook worm); 

4 (O) taeniasis/cysticercosis; 

5 (P) trachoma; and 

6 (Q) yaws (endemic treponematoses). 

7 SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

8 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to increase au9 thorizations of appropriations for the United States Agen10 cy for International Development or authorizations of ap11 propriations for the Department of Health and Human 

12 Services. 

13 TITLE I—FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

14 SEC. 101. EXPANSION OF UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR 

15 INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT’S NE16 GLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES PROGRAM. 

17 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

18 (1) Since fiscal year 2006, the United States 

19 Government has been an essential leading partner in 

20 advancing control and elimination efforts for seven 

21 targeted neglected tropical diseases: lymphatic fila22 riasis (elephantiasis), onchocerciasis (river blind23 ness), schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases 

24 (STH) (round worm, whip worm, and hook worm), 

25 and trachoma. Additional information suggests that 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1415 IH

1 such efforts could also produce collateral benefits for 

2 at least three other NTDs: foodborne trematodiases, 

3 scabies, and yaws (endemic treponematoses). 

4 (2) The United States Agency for International 

5 Development’s (USAID) Neglected Tropical Dis6 eases Program has made important and substantial 

7 contributions to the global fight to control and elimi8 nate the seven most common NTDs. Leveraging 

9 more than $6.7 billion in donated medicines, USAID 

10 has supported the distribution of more than one bil11 lion treatments in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, 

12 and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

13 (3) United States Government leadership has 

14 been instrumental in maintaining the global fight 

15 against NTDs and is a partner in the London Dec16 laration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012), 

17 which represents a new, coordinated international 

18 push to accelerate progress toward eliminating or 

19 controlling 10 neglected tropical diseases by 2020. 

20 (4) USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Pro21 gram is a clear example of a successful public-pri22 vate partnership between the Government and the 

23 private sector and should be judiciously expanded, as 

24 practicable and appropriate. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (5) While many of the most common NTDs 

2 have treatments that are safe, easy to use, and effec3 tive, treatment options for NTDs with the highest 

4 death rates, including human African trypanosomia5 sis, visceral leishmaniasis, and Chagas disease, are 

6 extremely limited. 

7 (6) Since 2014, USAID’s Neglected Tropical 

8 Diseases Program has been investing in gathering 

9 research on treatment for certain NTDs to ensure 

10 that promising new breakthrough medicines can be 

11 rapidly evaluated, registered, and made available to 

12 patients. 

13 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con14 gress that USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Program 

15 should— 

16 (1) provide integrated drug treatment packages 

17 to as many individuals suffering from NTDs or at 

18 risk of acquiring NTDs as logistically feasible; 

19 (2) better integrate control and treatment tools 

20 and approaches for NTDs into complementary devel21 opment and global health programs by coordinating 

22 across multiple sectors, including sectors relating to 

23 HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other infectious diseases 

24 and development sectors relating to education (in25 cluding primary and pre-primary education), food 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1415 IH

1 and nutrition security, maternal and child health, 

2 and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), as 

3 practicable and appropriate; 

4 (3) establish low-cost, high-impact community 

5 and school-based NTD programs to reach large at6 risk populations, including school-age children who 

7 require treatments for NTDs, with integrated drug 

8 treatment packages as feasible; 

9 (4) for other NTDs, such as human African 

10 trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Chagas disease, 

11 leishmaniasis, and dengue fever, engage in research 

12 and development of new tools and approaches to 

13 reach the goals relating to the elimination of NTDs 

14 as set forth in the World Health Organization’s ‘‘Ac15 celerating Work to Overcome the Global Impact of 

16 Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Roadmap for Imple17 mentation’’ (2012), as opportunities emerge and re18 sources allow; and 

19 (5) monitor the research on and developments 

20 in the prevention and treatment of other NTDs so 

21 they can be incorporated into the program, as prac22 ticable and appropriate. 

23 (c) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—The Administrator of 

24 USAID should incorporate the following priorities into 

25 USAID’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Program: 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (1) Planning for and conducting robust moni2 toring and evaluation of program investments in 

3 order to accurately measure impact, identify and 

4 share lessons learned, and inform future NTD con5 trol and elimination strategies. 

6 (2) Coordinating program activities with 

7 USAID development sectors, including development 

8 sectors relating to education (including primary and 

9 pre-primary education), food and nutrition security, 

10 and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), in 

11 order to advance the goals of the London Declara12 tion on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012). 

13 (3) Including morbidity management in treat14 ment plans for high-burden NTDs. 

15 (4) Incorporating NTDs that are recognized as 

16 high-burden diseases in the Global Burden of Dis17 ease Study 2010 into the program as opportunities 

18 emerge, to the extent practicable and appropriate. 

19 (5) Continuing investments in research and de20 velopment for new tools, including diagnostics, 

21 drugs, and vaccines, for NTDs to ensure that new 

22 discoveries make it through the pipeline and become 

23 available to individuals who need them most. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1415 IH

1 SEC. 102. ACTIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 

2 (a) OFFICE OF THE GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR.— 

3 It is the sense of Congress that the Coordinator of United 

4 States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Glob5 ally should fully consider evolving research on the impact 

6 of neglected tropical diseases on efforts to control HIV/ 

7 AIDS when making future programming decisions, as nec8 essary and appropriate. 

9 (b) GLOBAL PROGRAMMING.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State 

11 should encourage the Global Fund to take into con12 sideration evolving research on the impact of NTDs 

13 on efforts to control HIV/AIDS when making pro14 gramming decisions, particularly with regard to fe15 male genital schistosomiasis, which has been re16 vealed as one of the most significant co-factors in 

17 the AIDS epidemic in Africa, as necessary and ap18 propriate. 

19 (2) GLOBAL FUND.—In this subsection, the 

20 term ‘‘Global Fund’’ means the public-private part21 nership known as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 

22 Tuberculosis and Malaria established pursuant to 

23 Article 80 of the Swiss Civil Code. 

24 (c) G–20 COUNTRIES.—The Secretary of State, act25 ing through the Office of Global Health Diplomacy, should 

26 encourage G–20 countries, particularly Argentina, Brazil, 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1415 IH

1 China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, 

2 Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, to significantly increase 

3 their role in the control and elimination of NTDs. 

4 SEC. 103. MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH IN5 STITUTIONS. 

6 (a) CONGRESSIONAL FINDING.—Congress finds that 

7 the treatment of high burden neglected tropical diseases, 

8 including community and school-based deworming pro9 grams, can be a highly cost-effective education interven10 tion and schools can serve as an effective delivery mecha11 nism for reaching large numbers of children with safe 

12 treatment for soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH) 

13 (round worm, whip worm, and hook worm) in particular. 

14 (b) UNITED NATIONS.—The President should direct 

15 the United States permanent representative to the United 

16 Nations to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United 

17 States to urge the World Health Organization and the 

18 United Nations Development Programme to take the ac19 tions described in subsection (d). 

20 (c) WORLD BANK INSTITUTE.—The President shall 

21 direct the United States Executive Director at the Inter22 national Bank for Reconstruction and Development to use 

23 the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to urge 

24 the World Bank Institute to take the actions described 

25 in subsection (d). 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (d) ACTIONS DESCRIBED.—The actions described in 

2 this subsection are the following: 

3 (1) Ensure the dissemination of best practices 

4 and programming on NTDs to governments and 

5 make data accessible to practitioners in an open and 

6 timely fashion. 

7 (2) Highlight impacts of community and school8 based deworming programs on children’s health and 

9 education, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of such 

10 programs. 

11 (3) Encourage governments to implement 

12 deworming campaigns at the national level. 

13 (4) Designate a portion of grant funds of the 

14 institutions to deworming initiatives and cross-sec15 toral collaboration with water and sanitation and hy16 giene efforts and nutrition or education program17 ming. 

18 (5) Encourage accurate monitoring and evalua19 tion of NTD programs, including deworming pro20 grams. 

21 (6) Engage governments in cross-border initia22 tives for the treatment, control, prevention, and 

23 elimination of NTDs, and assist in developing 

24 transnational agreements, when necessary. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 1415 IH

1 TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF 

2 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

3 SEC. 201. PROMOTING EFFORTS THROUGH INTERAGENCY 

4 WORKING GROUPS AND INTERNATIONAL FO5 RUMS. 

6 The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

7 continue to promote the need for robust programs and ac8 tivities to diagnose, prevent, control, and treat neglected 

9 tropical diseases— 

10 (1) through interagency working groups on 

11 health; and 

12 (2) through relevant international forums on 

13 behalf of the United States, including the post-2015 

14 United Nations development agenda. 

15 SEC. 202. REPORT ON NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES IN 

16 THE UNITED STATES. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 

19 and Human Services, acting through relevant agencies of 

20 the Department of Health and Human Services, shall sub21 mit to the Congress a report on neglected tropical diseases 

22 in the United States. 

23 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required by this section 

24 shall— 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (1) assess the epidemiology of, impact of, and 

2 appropriate funding required to address, neglected 

3 tropical diseases in the United States; and 

4 (2) include the information necessary— 

5 (A) to guide future health policy with re6 spect to such diseases; 

7 (B) to accurately evaluate the current 

8 state of knowledge concerning such diseases; 

9 and 

10 (C) to define gaps in such knowledge. 

11 SEC. 203. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 

12 Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

13 is amended by inserting after section 399V–6 of such Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 280g–17) the following: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 399V–7. NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE CENTERS OF 

16 EXCELLENCE. 

17 ‘‘(a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND GRANTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

19 through the Director of the Centers for Disease 

20 Control and Prevention, may enter into cooperative 

21 agreements with, and make grants to, public or pri22 vate nonprofit entities to pay all or part of the cost 

23 of planning, establishing, or strengthening, and pro24 viding basic operating support for, one or more cen25 ters of excellence for research into, training in, and 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 1415 IH

1 development of diagnosis, prevention, control, and 

2 treatment methods for neglected tropical diseases, 

3 including tools to support elimination. 

4 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a cooper5 ative agreement or grant under this section, an enti6 ty must— 

7 ‘‘(A) have demonstrated expertise in re8 search on, and or the epidemiology and surveil9 lance of, major neglected tropical diseases that 

10 are endemic to the United States, such as 

11 Chagas disease, dengue, leishmaniasis, West 

12 Nile virus, and helminth infections; and 

13 ‘‘(B) participate in one or more not-for14 profit product development partnerships. 

15 ‘‘(b) POLICIES.—A cooperative agreement or grant 

16 under paragraph (1) shall be entered into or awarded in 

17 accordance with established policies. 

18 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 

19 that activities under this section are coordinated with 

20 similar activities of the Department of Health and Human 

21 Services relating to neglected tropical diseases. 

22 ‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—A cooperative agreement or 

23 grant under subsection (a) may be used for— 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 1415 IH

1 ‘‘(1) staffing, administrative, and other basic 

2 operating costs, including such patient care costs as 

3 are required for research; 

4 ‘‘(2) clinical training, including training for al5 lied health professionals, continuing education for 

6 health professionals and allied health professions 

7 personnel, and information programs for the public 

8 with respect to neglected tropical diseases; and 

9 ‘‘(3) research and development programs. 

10 ‘‘(e) PERIOD OF SUPPORT; ADDITIONAL PERIODS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Support of a center of ex12 cellence under this section may be for a period of 

13 not more than 5 years. 

14 ‘‘(2) EXTENSIONS.—The period specified in 

15 paragraph (1) may be extended by the Secretary for 

16 additional periods of not more than 5 years if— 

17 ‘‘(A) the operations of the center of excel18 lence involved have been reviewed by an appro19 priate technical and scientific peer review 

20 group; and 

21 ‘‘(B) such group has recommended to the 

22 Secretary that such period should be extended. 

23 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 1415 IH

1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘neglected tropical diseases’ has 

2 the meaning given to that term in section 5 of the 

3 End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act. 

4 ‘‘(2) The term ‘product development partner5 ship’ means a partnership to bring together public 

6 and private sector researchers to develop new, or im7 prove on current, global health tools, such as drugs, 

8 diagnostics, insecticides, vaccines, and vector man9 agement strategies— 

10 ‘‘(A) that are for neglected tropical dis11 eases, including Ebola; and 

12 ‘‘(B) for which there is generally no profit13 able market.’’. 

14 SEC. 204. PANEL ON WORM INFECTION SOLUTIONS. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 

16 Human Services shall establish a panel to conduct an eval17 uation of issues relating to worm infections, including po18 tential solutions such as deworming medicines (in this sec19 tion referred to as the ‘‘panel’’). 

20 (b) STRATEGIES.—The panel shall develop rec21 ommendations for strategies for solutions with respect 

22 to— 

23 (1) repeat infections; 

24 (2) vector control; 

25 (3) clean water solutions; 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 1415 IH

1 (4) identifying incentives to encourage basic re2 search for less toxic, more effective medicines; and 

3 (5) improving the success and cost efficiency of 

4 current programs in these areas, based on a thor5 ough scan of initiatives already underway in both 

6 the public and private sectors. 

7 (c) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—In addition to 

8 representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and 

9 Prevention and other relevant agencies working on ne10 glected tropical diseases, the Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services shall appoint as members of the panel 

12 individuals from the public and private sectors who are 

13 knowledgeable about or affected by worm infections, in14 cluding— 

15 (1) at least 2 representatives of nongovern16 mental organizations; 

17 (2) at least 2 representatives of private industry 

18 involved in the development of de-worming medica19 tions; 

20 (3) at least 2 representatives from academia; 

21 and 

22 (4) representatives of industries relating to 

23 sanitation, clean water, and vector control. 

24 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

25 of the enactment of this Act, the panel shall submit to 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 1415 IH

1 Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv2 ices a report on its findings and recommended strategies, 

3 including recommendations for such administrative action 

4 and legislation as the panel determines to be appropriate. 

5 (e) TERMINATION.—The panel shall terminate not 

6 later than 6 months after submitting the report required 

7 by subsection (d). 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS