Newswise — By a roll call vote of 392-26, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a revised version of the 21st Century Cures Act, which provides $1.8 billion for cancer research. The bipartisan bill is headed to the Senate for a final vote.
AACI leaders sent a letter to House and Senate leadership Tuesday, asking that Congress complete work on the 21st Century Cures Act before the 114th Congress concludes.
“The nation’s cancer centers applaud the bipartisan work that led to the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in the House," said AACI Executive Director Barbara Duffy Stewart. "This bill is the most significant piece of legislation for patients fighting cancer in the 21st Century and ensures that advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care are within reach like never before.”
Any new funding in the landmark legislation will be fully offset and will be in addition to what otherwise can be appropriated to the NIH. The funds are marked for discretionary spending subject to annual review. Funding highlights in the 21st Century Cures Act are as follows:
· Provides $4.8 billion for the National Institutes of Health over the next 10 years, including $1.8 billion for cancer research, which would be distributed over the next five years.
· Provides $500 million over 10 years to the Food and Drug Administration.
· Provides $1 billion in the first two years for grants to states to supplement opioid abuse prevention and treatment activities.
“Pay-fors” to cover the offsets of 21st Century Cures include proceeds from selling part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and dollars redirected from future increases in the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF). If the funds are not used for "Cures", the PPHF dollars could revert back to the federal treasury if the Affordable Care Act is repealed in the 115th Congress.
“We welcome the increased federal investment in cancer research,” said AACI President Dr. Stanton Gerson. “Investing in the NIH and NCI not only plays a vital role in addressing cancer incidence, but it also contributes to curbing the overall costs associated with cancer.”
The Senate is expected to consider the legislation next week.
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Dr. Gerson is the Asa and Patricia Shiverick- Jane Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, in Cleveland, OH, founding director of the National Center for Regenerative Medicine, and Distinguished University Professor at Case Western Reserve University. He is also director of University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland and a member of the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors.The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) comprises 96 premier academic and freestanding cancer research centers in the U.S. and Canada. AACI is dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer by enhancing the impact of the leading academic cancer centers.
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