Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Strikes Hopeful Chord, While Acknowledging Challenges, In Final Moonshot Report
Stat: 3 Big Projects The White House Cancer Moonshot Is Pursuing
Liquid biopsies. A “groundbreaking” Defense Department study. Partnerships with Lyft and Uber for patient transportation. The White House’s cancer moonshot, the future of which Vice President Joe Biden outlined in a new report on Monday, has a lot of moving parts. The report details nearly 20 projects that are already underway or soon will be in the moonshot’s first year and another two dozen planned for its second year and beyond. Major themes include harnessing big data, sharing research among scientists, and expanding preventive measures like the HPV vaccine and colorectal cancer screening. (Scott, 10/17)
Modern Healthcare: In Final Cancer Moonshot Report, Biden Lays Out Progress And Obstacles
Vice President Joe Biden delivered his final report Monday on the “Cancer Moonshoot,” reiterating how the U.S. is at an “inflection point” in the fight against cancer. He cited reasons to be hopeful, even as he acknowledged challenges ahead in the drive to achieve a decade of progress on fighting cancer in five years. President Barack Obama launched the Cancer Moonshot in January and tasked Biden with overseeing the initiative to double the pace of cancer research. Monday's report laid out a strategy to do so, organized into five strategic goals: catalyzing scientific breakthroughs, maximizing the power of data, bringing new therapies to patients more rapidly, improving prevention and diagnosis, and enhancing access and care for patients. (Whitman, 10/17)
The Hill: Biden: 'Trust Me' On Congress Funding Cancer Research
Vice President Biden on Monday hinted that GOP leaders in Congress have already agreed to “significant increases” in cancer research funding later this year.“ Congress is stepping up. Trust me,” Biden told some of the nation’s leading cancer researchers at an event at the White House. Biden, who lost his oldest son to brain cancer last year, has led the Obama administration’s initiative known as the “cancer moonshot” since January. (Ferris, 10/17)
Morning Consult: Biden Highlights Path Forward For Cancer Moonshot
The report highlights more than a dozen ongoing and future initiatives that have been launched as part of the effort, which was first announced by President Obama during his January State of the Union address. Biden has said he hopes to make a decade’s worth of progress on cancer research in half that time. “Funding and resource limitations are an ongoing challenge,” the report says. “Nonetheless, the vision is to improve existing programs so that they work optimally, efficiently, and with a broader perspective on their opportunities to improve health care quality and the health of people with and at risk of cancer.” (McIntire, 10/17)
Roll Call: Biden Presents 'Moonshot' Task Force Report
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. released on Monday a federal report on the cancer moonshot initiative that highlights goals to accelerate the development of cures, including more widespread sharing of data and faster research and approval timelines for new treatments. ... The program has yet to receive any federally appropriated money. Neither of the pertinent spending bills for next year that the Senate and House Appropriations committees approved included funding directly for the moonshot initiative. Both, however, did increase funds for the National Cancer Institute and the NIH more broadly. (Williams, 10/17)
