JIM HENDRICKS: Sen. Johnny Isakson applauds OK of cell-based gene therapy

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Marietta, says he’s pleased to see the FDA’s approval of the first cell-based gene therapy available in the United States.

The new therapy, Kymriah, was approved for pediatric and young adult patients suffering from a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States. Isakson’s office described Kymriah as an innovative therapy that reprograms a patient’s cells to attack deadly cancer.

“This type of therapy is exactly what we had in mind when I began working for the Advancing Hope Act, which was ultimately approved and extended in last year’s 21st Century Cures legislation,” Isakson said Wednesday. “When I heard this wonderful news directly from the FDA yesterday, I thanked them and told them to get it on the market, because it’s time to start saving kids’ lives.”

Isakson’s office said the approval came because of the Advancing Hope Act, which extended the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Program and was included in the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in December 2016.

“We’re entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient’s own cells to attack a deadly cancer,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner, said. “New technologies such as gene and cell therapies hold out the potential to transform medicine and create an inflection point in our ability to treat and even cure many intractable illnesses.

“At the FDA, we’re committed to helping expedite the development and review of groundbreaking treatments that have the potential to be life-saving.”

Isakson’s office said his commitment to helping find effective treatments for rare pediatric diseases began in 2004 after a visit from Alexa Rohrbach, a young Georgian suffering from a rare cancer who asked the senator for his help in finding a cure. Alexa passed away in 2008, but Isakson said that her memory is “a reminder of why getting a result on bills like this one is as critical as anything we could ever do in the United States Senate.”

GEORGIA CONGRESSIONAL delegation members, led by U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton, sent a letter to Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representatives, urging a separate domestic industry provision for perishable and seasonable products in anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings through NAFTA re-negotiations.

Scott’s office says that the growth of Mexico’s fruit and vegetable sector in recent years has led to an excessive amount fruits and vegetables being dumped into the U.S. at below the cost of production. He charges that Mexico is unfairly subsidizing its growers, which makes it difficult for specialty crop producers in the U.S. to compete.

In the letter, the lawmakers want the Trump Administration to address that discrepancy during the re-negotiations.

“Mexico’s unfair trade practices have become unsustainable for Georgia’s fresh fruit and vegetable sector, and it is vital that the Administration considers using more near-term remedial tools to help correct these practices,” the lawmakers wrote. “We applaud the Administration’s support for U.S. perishable and seasonal sectors and stand ready to work with the Administration on improving trade remedy coverage for these sectors and taking the other near-term steps needed to alleviate the Mexican unfair trading practices that are putting Georgia and other regions of our nation’s important fresh fruit and vegetable industry at risk.”

Supporting the letter, Scott’s office said, are the Georgia Agribusiness Council, the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association, Georgia Farm Bureau, the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Georgia Watermelon Association.

Joining Scott on the letter were Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, and well as Republican Reps. Rick Allen, Buddy Carter, Doug Collins, Drew Ferguson, Karen Handel and Jody Hice and Democratic Rep. David Scott.

SEN. DAVID PERDUE, R-Sea Island, gave a thumbs up Wednesday to President Trump’s speech on tax reform.

“President Trump’s comments today are spot on,” Perdue, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, said. “Thanks to American voters, we now have the opportunity to create a new tax system that is fairer for everyone and makes our country competitive again. The clock is ticking. There are only 61 session days until the end of the year to pass a plan that eliminates the repatriation tax, lowers the corporate tax rate, and simplifies the individual tax system to bring relief to working men and women. Make no mistake, failure to deliver results on tax is not an option.

“Consumer confidence is at a 16 year high and many businesses are investing and creating more jobs than ever before. We are on the cusp of an economic turnaround, and these tax changes must happen this year in order to have any real impact on business decisions that can produce significant economic growth. Americans are watching the tax debate closely and counting on Congress to deliver real results.”

GOV. NATHAN DEAL applauded the recommendation of the co-owners of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 to complete construction of the energy plant units. The recommendation was made Thursday in a filing to the Public Service Commission.

“I’m extremely pleased to learn the co-owners of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 have recommended completion of construction,” Deal said. “Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities have made the right decision for our state.

“These new units will provide clean and affordable energy to Georgians for more than 60 years while creating 6,000 jobs during project construction and 800 well-paying, permanent ones after.”

U.S. AG SECRETARY Sonny Perdue on Friday administered the oath of office to the nation’s newest Forest Service chief.

Tony Tooke became the 18th chief of the U.S. Forest Service in a ceremony at White Mountain National Forest. Tooke joined the Forest Service when he was 18 and has been with the agency for 37 years. He was the regional forester for the Southern Region before the promotion.

“Tony Tooke is truly a home-grown chief, having worked his entire adult life for the Forest Service, and he comes on board at a time of great opportunity to reform our approach to forest management,” Perdue said. “He will oversee efforts to get our forests working again, to make them more productive, and to create more jobs. Additionally, wildfires have been aggressive this season, and it is frustrating to see that a greater and greater percentage – now 55 percent – of our Forest Service budget is spent on fire suppression.

“This diminishes our efforts to mitigate disasters in advance. I am committed to finding a permanent solution to this budget imbalance, and Tony’s leadership will be key to accomplishing that goal.”

Contact Jim Hendricks at [email protected]. Follow @ABH_JHendricks on Twitter.