AADA’s letter

Dear Cancer Prevention Advocates,

We are writing today to ask that you join us in telling Congress to eliminate dangerous report language accompanying the House Appropriations Committee passed FY 17 LHHS bill, H.R.5926. The House Committee report language called for the CDC’s Center for Environmental Health to study the efficacy of vitamin D supplements versus “non-burning sunshine” and the issue of sunburns as the trigger for melanoma as opposed to “non-burning sunshine.”  We ask that you please sign onto the attached letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committee and LHHS Subcommittee chairs and ranking members opposing inclusion of this language in any year-end appropriations package.
A federally-supported study as described in the report would represent a deep and long-lasting setback in ongoing public and private efforts to prevent skin cancer.  “Non-burning sunshine” is not a scientifically-recognized term. Studies have shown that, over time, UV exposure can, even without burning, lead to skin cancer. This directly refutes the request in the report language that calls for a study of “the issue of sunburns as the trigger for melanoma as opposed to non-burning sunshine.”

Congress should not mandate a study that legitimizes a non-scientific, fictitious term. Rather, Congress should make cancer prevention and public health awareness priorities

If you have any questions, please contact Blake McDonald at bmcdonald@aad.org or 202-712-2608.

---

Wed, Dec 7, 2016 21st Century Cures Passes the Senate

To OVAC Members:
The Senate has passed the 21st Century Cures Act by a vote of 94-5!

Of specific relevance to OVAC, the bill includes $4.8 billion in new funding for the National Institute of Health, including $1.8 billion for the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

It is also important to note that Congressional appropriators released a new Continuing Resolution (CR) last night which includes the $352 million in FY17 Cures funding for the NIH in the CR being voted on later this week. This will allow NIH and NCI to begin spending the Cures money immediately even while the agency budget remains otherwise flat-funded through at least the end of April as a result of the CR.

Thank you to everyone who has worked on this bill over the past two years and who has helped build support for it. It is important that OVAC members thank House and Senate Leadership as well as the bill’s sponsors for their work on the bill and appropriations chairs and ranking members for including Cures and moonshot funding in the CR.
21st Century Cures now goes to the president to be signed into law which he is expected to do quickly.

---

Thu, Dec 8, 2016 House Passes FY17 Continuing Resolution (CR)
To OVAC Members:
The House has passed the FY17 Continuing Resolution (CR) which funds the federal government through April 28, 2017 by a vote of 326-96.
The bill maintains FY16 funding levels for most federal agencies, with a nominal (0.2 percent) across-the-board cut to comply with statutory budget caps. Most notably for OVAC, the CR includes the FY17 funding from the 21st Century Cures Act. The CR now moves to the Senate where it will be voted on as early as tomorrow.

---

Op-ed: “Medicare cuts would scorch patients” Written by Armin for many reasons and for the many family, friends and colleagues who have, are, and will face the need for access to the best advice and best drugs possible.  

MOONSHOT Update

The Report IS OUT. Stay up-to-date on the Moonshot here