Children will no longer be left behind in the advancement of new cancer treatments!

RACE for Children Act Becomes Law!

On Friday, August 18, 2017, the RACE for Children Act became law, ensuring that novel and exciting new cancer drugs will now be developed not only for adults, but also for children with cancer!

One of the most significant challenges for pediatric cancer research has been the lack of access to novel and exciting new drugs.  Cancer research has made tremendous strides over the years resulting in new cancer treatments for adults, but these seldom translate into new treatments for kids. Because of this, pediatric cancer patients received out-dated and often old treatments.

The good news is that RACE for Children Act will bring new drugs to kids with cancer!  The Act authorizes the FDA to require that novel drugs developed for adult cancers also be developed for children with cancer when the molecular targets of the drugs are relevant to childhood cancers.  Another positive outcome of the RACE for Children Act is that tens of millions of new research dollars will flow into pediatric cancer clinical research each year as drug companies assume new pediatric studies.  Children will no longer be left behind in the advancement of new cancer treatments!