Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) is pleased to support the most recent version of the Verifying Accurate Leading-edge IVCT Development Act (VALID Act) and urges Congress to include this as part of the 2023 omnibus appropriations bill. The VALID Act would resolve longstanding uncertainty associated with the regulation and use of diagnostic tests that play a critical role in patient care, including laboratory developed tests (LDT’s) and in vitro diagnostics (IVDs).

Over a decade of public debate, extensive stakeholder engagement, and policy development have created an historic opportunity to establish a modernized approach and verify high-quality diagnostic test performance, which support advances in science and technology.

The VALID Act will create a risk-based framework for evaluating tests regardless of where it is developed, a process that does not currently exist. Appropriate test evaluation is critically important given the growing role that such tests play in providing optimal patient care, especially in oncology. This bill provides a thoughtful and flexible approach that balances demonstrating accuracy and promoting patient safety through rigorous data generation while ensuring that the pace of new discoveries continues.

Congress must act now to ensure that our Nation’s patients and their health care professionals continue to have robust access to innovative and high-quality diagnostic tests.

About Friends of Cancer Research
Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) is working to accelerate policy change, support groundbreaking science, and deliver new therapies to patients quickly and safely. We unite scientists, pharmaceutical companies, and policy makers with shared trust and guide them toward meaningful cooperation. This collaboration among partners from every healthcare sector ultimately drives advances in science, policy, and regulation that speed life-saving treatments to patients. For more information, please visit https://friendsofcancerresearch.org/.