Smashing Walnuts commends US Congress for passing CURES ACT in support of Children with Life Threating and Rare Illnesses..

The United States Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act this week and the bill is now headed to the desk of the President of the United States for signature. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the bill; which accelerates the delivery of breakthrough treatments and cures to those in desperate need.

Smashing Walnuts Foundation commends both the Senate and the House of Representatives for passing the “Cures Act” on an overwhelming bipartisan basis, which includes much-needed reforms to stimulate investments in medical research and innovation, specifically encouraging the development of treatments for rare childhood diseases.

It has been a banner week for childhood cancer policy. The “Cures Act” authorizes $4.8 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health. It will be a catalyst for critical change to improve patient representation in clinical trials; ultimately helping to ensure treatments are developed for a wider range of patients, including children.

Additionally, the bill reauthorizes a voucher program titled the “Creating Hope Act”, which provides incentives for companies to do the research and develop the much-needed drugs for children with life-threating illnesses and rare childhood conditions, including Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma or DIPG, which is the rare type of cancer that took the life of our Gabriella Miller. Right now, DIPG and too many other rare diseases are a death sentence for children because no one has discovered a cure or developed a treatment that is effective for them. We are confident that the “Creating Hope Act” will make a real difference.

In addition, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program will continue its funding under the continuing resolution which Congress is considering, providing another $12.6 million to NIH to support research into childhood cancer and other pediatric diseases and disorders. “As a parent of a child that died from cancer, I am very proud of the work that the childhood cancer world has collectively done to get this legislation passed”, says Ellyn Miller, Founder and President of Smashing Walnuts and mom to a childhood angel, “I would like to personally thank all of our elected officials that worked on the bipartisan bill. It is an honor to be able to work side-by-side with so many amazing leaders toward ‘Cracking the Cure’ for childhood cancer”.

Smashing Walnuts Foundation thanks Congressional Leaders on both sides of the aisle who authored and spearheaded important investments in Cures, including the Cancer Moonshot initiative, the Precision Medicine Initiative, the BRAIN Initiative, and a National Pediatric Research Network model that has proven effective in other areas of research.

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Contact: Allison Fischer 703.473.0768 or mediarelations@strategyrevolution.com