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WASHINGTON — It may be now or never for a landmark legislative push to speed up the US drug approval process — but there are signs that lawmakers just might make it work.

In the next four weeks, the Senate will either reach a compromise on a package to accelerate the approval of new medical cures, and to boost federal research funding, or run out of time and leave the work to the next Congress.

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Congressional aides and medical research advocates say they are hopeful that Senate Republicans and Democrats can work out remaining disagreements about the legislation, mostly about funding, and bring it to the floor by next month.

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