In Rare Bipartisan Push, Lawmakers Look to Speed Up Approval of Crucial Drugs

Passage could be lifesaver for people suffering mental illness, military veterans

Chemist Jeanine Yaboub works at Psilera Bioscience, a Tampa, Fla., startup that is researching healing properties in psychedelics. Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

A bill intended to speed up federal approval of drugs and therapies that show promise in treating diseases and conditions resistant to available treatments has received a rare show of lawmaker unity.

The Breakthrough Therapies Act is being backed by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).