Biden talked about his plans to create a “fierce sense of urgency” in the fight against cancer and to provide better care for cancer patients as well as their loved ones.
There are not many details available about the new program and the method of funding it however, the president has not announced any new spending plans.
Biden stressed that cancer is among the issues that are truly bipartisan in Congress It has overwhelming backing from all “sides of the aisle,” and he views this as a matter which can bring the nation closer.
“We are able to accomplish this. I assure you that we’ll get it done. For all the lost, and for all the ones we love. Cancer can be eliminated in the way we know it,” declared president Biden.
The goal is to cut down the rate of death from cancer by 50% or more in the next 25 years.
Biden has also renewed his previous proposal to establish his own Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) that will focus on advancing cutting-edge innovation in research into health.
A key component of the plan is as well to form a “Cancer Cabinet” that includes 18 federal agencies, departments, and offices, which include officials in departments like the Departments of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, and Agriculture.
There is a good chance that more details will be revealed in the Cancer Moonshot Summit that is in the process of being planned and on a new website that will let people monitor its developments.
President Priority
The cancer moonshot first appeared in 2016 when, in his final State of the Union speech during the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced the ambitious initiative. Within a few days, Obama asked Congress for $1 billion in order to fund the program. He appointed Vice President Joe Biden who had just lost his family member due to tumors in the brain as the person as the person in the charge for “mission control” in the remaining months of his administration. The new initiative will be led by Danielle Carnival, PhD, who is a member of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and is now named Coordinator of the White House Cancer Moonshot. White House Cancer Moonshot coordinator.
Accolades But a Bit of Caution
The speech of the president was lauded by a variety of cancer organizations include professional organizations as well as patient advocacy groups.
Karen E. Knudsen, MD as Director for the American Cancer Society, commended Biden for reviving the moonshot.
“In 2022 all by itself, there will be approximately 1.9 million diagnosed with cancer. More than 600,000 in the U.S. will die. The ability to leverage Federal government resources will be crucial in our efforts to cut down death and suffering due to the disease,” she commented.
at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) the CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc) she said she was delighted to hear about this significant announcement following the devastating disruptions to cancer research and patient care in the last two years.
However, more funds from Congress is needed to enable this goal to be realized She emphasized.