Vice President Joe Biden released a report from the Cancer Moonshot Task Force this week. As CQ reports, "the report highlights goals to accelerate the development of cures, including more widespread sharing of data and faster research and approval timelines for new treatments." The report outlines the administration's accomplishments during the last year and the initiative's goals for 2017 and beyond. The report recognizes the challenges posed by a lack of dedicated funding. The report highlights Obama's request for $1 billion in fiscal 2017 for the moonshot effort and alludes to the difficulty in advancing the program without additional federal money. “Funding and resource limitations are an ongoing challenge. Nonetheless, the vision is to improve existing programs so that they work optimally, efficiently, and with a broader perspective on their opportunities to improve health care quality," the report states. There's chatter that the revised 21st Century Cures Initiative may include some funding for the VP's Cancer Moonshot Initiative. A copy of the report and other relevant materials are available on the White House's website.

Last updated: October 28, 2016