Our Commitment to Turning the Tide Against Cancer

Can we meet the challenge of accelerating progress against cancer in an era of increasing pressure for cost containment? At PhRMA we believe the answer is yes; we recognize it won’t be easy; and we know we need to keep the patient at the center of our work.

Several years ago we joined leaders from across the cancer community to begin tackling this challenge. PhRMA is a proud supporter of the upcoming Turning the Tide Against Cancer conference, an important event that brings together academic, industry and patient leaders from the cancer community to discuss the current research, care strategies and the ongoing debate about the value and cost of cancer care.

Over the course of the summer, I was privileged to serve on an Expert Working Group under the Turning the Tide Against Cancer initiative. The working group – made up a diverse group of leaders including physicians and caregivers, patients and cancer survivors, payers, research and policy-makers – set out to define steps we could agree need to be taken in order to meet the needs of cancer patients today and tomorrow.

The result of our efforts is a major new paper, an issue brief, outlining as series of regulatory and policy options to advance cancer care that is patient-centered, high-quality, innovative, and efficient.  While the list is far from exhaustive, it identifies significant steps we can build on.

Tackling these issues also takes collaboration and commitment to real solutions for patients.  Our work with the Turning the Tide Against Cancer initiative is just one example of how we have made this commitment. I hope you’ll join me and leaders from across health care at the Oct. 9 conference to continue this work. 

To view the paper and other Turning the Tide Against Cancer resources, please click here.