U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on May 17 led more than a dozen congressional members in introducing a bipartisan bill that would authorize the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to direct drug companies to conduct pediatric cancer trials on combination therapies.
“Children should be given the same opportunity as adults to beat cancer, full stop,” said Rep. McCaul, co-chair of the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus. “It has been the highlight of my career to fight for a better future for children with cancer.”
Rep. McCaul sponsored the Give Kids A Chance Act of 2023, H.R. 3433, with 13 original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Young Kim (R-CA), and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), to provide children access to cutting-edge trials and therapies for cancer.
“Today, cutting-edge cancer treatments involve a combination of drugs to improve health outcomes for adults, but there is limited research on how these therapies can help children,” said Rep. Eshoo. “We’ve come a long way, and this bill will ensure children have access to the newest and most effective treatments to treat and cure cancer.”
H.R. 3433 has been endorsed by Kids v Cancer, the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, the Carson Leslie Foundation, County Progressives, Curing Kids Cancer, the Dragon Master Foundation, the Elaine Roberts Foundation, End Kids Cancer, Give Kids The World, Gold In September, the Gold Rush Cure Foundation, Handstand Walk for Kids, the Kick Childhood Cancer Guild, the Making Headway Foundation, the Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information, and the Mystic Force Foundation, among many others.