REP. BOEBERT INTRODUCES ADVANCING BOTANICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2026

Washington, D.C., — Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO) today introduced the Advancing Botanical Drug Development Act of 2026. The bill seeks to expand treatment options for complex chronic and age-related diseases while maintaining existing FDA safety and efficacy requirements. 

“Botanical drugs are FDA-approved medicines, not dietary supplements,” said Rep. Boebert. “Because they contain many natural compounds, they can work on multiple targets at once, which may help with complex chronic and age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, and PTSD.” 

The legislation would address barriers to late-stage development of botanical medicines by providing a defined period of regulatory exclusivity for qualifying products without exempting them from clinical trials or reducing FDA requirements, thereby creating the certainty needed to support rigorous development so promising multi-constituent therapies can reach patients through the existing approval framework. 

Rep. Boebert said, “This practical step will encourage more rigorous development of innovative medicines and keep America at the forefront of biomedical progress.” 

Botanical drugs are plant-based medicines that can contain many natural compounds. Unlike dietary supplements, they must go through the full FDA approval process and meet the same safety and effectiveness standards as other drugs, with extra quality rules to handle their complexity. They may be easier for some patients to tolerate and stay on, but any benefits have to be proven in clinical studies. Advances in chemistry and related sciences now make it possible to study these complex plant compounds more carefully than before, opening new opportunities for U.S. research and drug development.

Bill text of the Advancing Botanical Drug Development Act of 2026 can be found HERE