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HR 4132 112th Congress House

FAST Act

Official title: To amend section 506 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to expedited approval of drugs for serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions.

Introduced: April 17, 2012 See on congress.gov
Health Administrative law and regulatory proceduresDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDrug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulationFood and Drug Administration (FDA)
This bill died when the 112th Congress ended
It never became law before the 112th Congress (2011–2012) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 9, 2012
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Mar 5, 2012
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Mar 5, 2012
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 9, 2012

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Faster Access to Specialized Treatments Act or FAST Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should apply specified accelerated approval and the fast track provisions to expedite the development and availability of treatments for serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions while maintaining appropriate safety and effectiveness standards.

Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), at the request of the sponsor of a new drug, to include as a fast track product a new drug, either alone or in combination with one or more other drugs, that is intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition.

Permits the Secretary to approve an application for approval of a product for a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, including a fast track product, upon a determination that the product has an effect on: (1) a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit; or (2) on a clinical endpoint, including an endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit.

Directs the Secretary, in conjunction with other planned reviews of the new drug review process, to contract with an independent entity with expertise in assessing biopharmaceutical development and regulatory review programs to evaluate the FDA's application of the fast track processes on the development and availability of innovative treatments for patients suffering from serious or life-threatening conditions.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4132: FAST Act. 112th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4132/
MLA
"H.R. 4132: FAST Act." 112th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4132/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4132, 112th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4132/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4132: FAST Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/112-HR-4132/)
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