RACE for Children Act

As of today, August 18, 2020, The RACE for Children Act will be fully implemented.
The Race for Children Act now requires all adult cancer therapies in development, whose molecular target is substantially relevant to a pediatric cancer, to be studied in children’s cancers as well.
Beginning in 2017, with the passage of The RACE for Children Act, there has been a major effort by the FDA, researchers, clinicians. and advocates to prepare for the implementation of this groundbreaking law. Now, the more than 1,000 cancer therapies in development for adult cancers that have not reached the end of their Phase 2 trials will also be studied in children’s cancers.
For kids with cancer, this means that they now have a shot at being treated with the most exciting and promising cancer drugs currently under development. Treatments for children with cancer will not be limited to drugs approved for adult cancers a decade ago or more.
For pediatric oncologists, this means that the past severe lack of access to novel therapies will no longer be a major constraint on pediatric cancer clinical studies. Rather, the challenge pediatric oncologists now face is which therapies to study — a great problem to have.
 
Pediatric cancer researchers are responding to RACE for Children Act by directing efforts to enhance the impact of The RACE for Children Act through in vitro and in vivo studies to identify more targets in pediatric cancers. RACE also presents new opportunities for funding for their research.
In pharmaceutical and biotech companies, The RACE for Children Act is causing a cultural shift whereby drug developers now have an expectation that they will bring their companies’ exciting and novel assets to children.
 
 
 

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