ASCO sent comments to leadership of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) regarding the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act). This legislation aims to improve the nation’s public health and medical preparedness systems, in addition to improving the U.S. health-care system more broadly.
ASCO’s comments convey the Association’s support for a number of provisions in the bill including:
Addressing social determinants of health—The legislative package would create grant programs to support evidence-based projects that aim to address social determinants of health, which ASCO strongly supports.
Facilitating standardized, interoperable health-care data systems—The lack of standardized data capture, reporting, and metrics continues to be a significant challenge in the pursuit of health equity. ASCO is glad the bill sponsors have included plans to create a modern, standardized, and interoperable data system to document, understand, and begin to address systemic inequities.
Improving clinical trials—ASCO is pleased to see sections of the bill aiming to modernize clinical trials through decentralization, the use of digital health technologies, and innovative clinical trial design.
Modernizing and strengthening the supply chain for vital medical products—During COVID-19, health-care providers have struggled to obtain medications and supplies essential to patient care. ASCO strongly supports provisions in the bill that would shore up the country’s Strategic National Stockpile.
Sections mitigating drug and device shortages—Drug shortages are an ongoing public health concern in the United States. The inclusion of ASCO-recommended provisions in the bill would be a necessary first step toward mitigating the ongoing disruptions and shortages.
ASCO’s comments also urge lawmakers to consider adding Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) authorization language to the text of the PREVENT Pandemics Act. The comments on ARPA-H are part of ASCO’s ongoing efforts to work with Congress and the administration on the proposed agency.
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