S. 4472 · Where this bill is now
In the House
Passed the Senate Aug 4, 2026. Received Aug 10, 2026; no House vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFunds ALS research and treatment development through 2031
This bill continues and updates programs that help researchers develop new drugs and therapies for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The money comes from the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to support scientific research and public-private partnerships. The bill also adds new requirements: researchers must share safety information from ongoing trials more quickly, and the FDA must publish a plan every five years describing its efforts to speed up drug development for these diseases.
How it affects you
If you or someone you know has ALS or another neurodegenerative disease, this keeps funding flowing for research into new treatments that might help people not eligible for regular clinical trials. The bill doesn't directly change access to current treatments, but it's designed to accelerate the development of new ones by making the research process clearer and more coordinated between government agencies.
Read the official summary (Reported to Senate, Jul 16, 2026)
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026
This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 and revises programs that support research and development of drugs and other therapies to address amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The bill reauthorizes
• grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for scientific research on investigational drugs to prevent or treat ALS for individuals not otherwise eligible for clinical trials,
• grants from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for research and development of therapies to prevent and treat ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, and
• a Public-Private Partnership including the FDA and NIH that supports development and regulatory review of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
Also, the bill revises the NIH grants to require (1) the NIH, in considering grant renewal, to assess available information on the safety and efficacy of the investigational drugs; (2) grantees to promptly report available safety data from ongoing clinical trials; and (3) the NIH to determine the timeframe for enrollment in clinical trials for the investigational drugs.
Additionally, every five years, the FDA must publish a plan describing actions it will take over a five-year period to foster development of safe and effective drugs, and facilitate access to investigational drugs, for ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. Each plan must include the FDA's previous actions and recommendations for improvements.
Finally, the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Health and Human Services must report on the impacts of these grants.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 4472
AN ACT
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Reauthorization Act of 2026
Sponsor: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) · Introduced Apr 30, 2026 · Health · 3 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Aug 10, 2026: “Held at the desk.”