 "US President Joe Biden with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File Photo")
India has pledged millions of dollars and vaccines to the fight against cancer.
That was one of the several announcements made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the United States.
Modi announced the formation of the Quad Cancer Moonshot Initiative in the Indo-Pacific to battle cancer.
The US has its own Cancer Moonshot programme – a pet project of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
But what is the Cancer Moonshot Initiative? And how will India help?
Let’s take a closer look:
What is it?
The Cancer Moonshot was launched in 2016 to speed up scientific research on cancer.
It was then president Barack Obama who announced the launch of the programme during his January 12, 2016, State of the Union.
Funding for the programme was provided by the 21st Century Cures Act which was passed in 2016.
Obama had appointed Biden, at the time vice-president, to chair the task force.
The task force was charged with:
Improving understanding of cancer and how to prevent and treat it
Improve patient access and care
Support greater access to new research, data, and computational capabilities
Encourage development of cancer treatments
Identify and address any unnecessary regulatory barriers and consider ways to expedite administrative reforms
Ensure optimal investment of federal resources
Identify opportunities to develop public–private partnerships and increase coordination of the federal government’s efforts with the private sector, as appropriate
A Blue Ribbon Panel of experts was also formed.
In 2016, the Blue Ribbon Panel, which first met on April 11, 2016, submitted its report to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB).
It made 10 recommendations on how to achieve a decade’s worth of progress in half the time including
Establish a network for direct patient involvement
Create a translational science network devoted exclusively to immunotherapy
Develop ways to overcome cancer’s resistance to therapy
Build a National Cancer Data Ecosystem
Intensify research on the major drivers of childhood cancers
Minimise cancer treatment’s debilitating side effects
Expand use of proven cancer prevention and early detection strategies
Mine past patient data to predict future patient outcomes
Develop a 3-D cancer atlas
Develop new cancer technologies
By 2022, Biden had taken over as US president.
The president and first lady had set the initiative two goals – to prevent over four million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the experience of people impacted by cancer.
“We’re building a world where the word ‘cancer’ loses its power, a diagnosis isn’t a death sentence, we prevent cancer before it starts, we catch cancer early so people live longer and healthier lives, and patients and families don’t have to navigate their cancer journey alone,” the Cancer Moonshot page on the White House website states.
The White House then put together a Cancer Cabinet comprising nearly two dozen agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and Office of Management and Budget.
Biden’s personal experience with cancer is also thought to have also played a part in his promotion of the initiative.
His son Beau passed away of brain cancer in 2015.
Biden has speculated that his son Beau, who deployed in Iraq, could have developed cancer from the US military’s burn pits.
“Science has recognised there are certain carcinogens when people are exposed to them,” Biden was quoted as saying by PBS. “Depending on the quantities and the amount in the water and the air, [they] can have a carcinogenic impact on the body.”
How will India help?
Modi said India would contribute $7.5 million to cancer testing, screening and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region.
Modi also said India would contribute 40 million vaccines under the Gavi and Quad initiatives.
The White House described cervical cancer as “a largely preventable disease that continues to be a major health crisis in the Indo-Pacific region.”
“India is ready to share its experience and expertise,” Modi said in his remarks, asserting that the grant was made under India’s vision of ‘One Earth, One Heath’. He added that India will also provide assistance in radiotherapy treatment and capacity building.
“When the Quad acts, it is not just for nations, it is for the people. This is the true essence of our human-centric approach,” he said.
“During the COVID pandemic, we had taken the Quad Vaccine initiative for the Indo-Pacific and I am glad that in the Quad, we have decided to jointly tackle challenges like cervical cancer. In cancer care, collaboration is essential for cure," Modi further said.
“I want to thank President Biden for organising this event,” Modi added.
“Every year, 150,000 women die from cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific. We can’t and will not let that continue. The four of us are proud democracies. We’re coming together to deliver better hope, more hope for our people,” Biden said as per India Today.
“In practice, the Quad Cancer Moonshot means more collaboration between our hospitals, research centres and cancer foundations. More investment in screenings, treatment and research and more exchanges between our countries to improve vaccination rates all across the region…I’m proud to announce that our four countries, the leaders behind me and many organisations here today are committing over $150 million for HPV screening and therapeutics.”
Modi said this would “go a long way in providing affordable, accessible and quality health-care to people in Indo-Pacific countries.”
“Cooperation in healthcare- a key Quad priority. PM @narendramodi participated in the Quad Cancer Moonshot event today. The four leaders committed to detection, prevention and treatment of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region. In keeping with India’s vision of ONE WORLD, ONE HEALTH, PM announced the dedication of a grant of USD 7.5 million to cancer testing, screening and diagnostics in the Indo-Pacific region,” the MEA said in a separate post on X.
The MEA in a release said Quad partners, through the Initiative, “intend to work, within respective national contexts, to collaborate in advancing research and development in the area of cancer and to increase private sector and non-governmental sector activities in support of reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the region.”
They will also “work together with United Nations agencies on bulk purchasing of HPV diagnostics to bring down the cost of cervical cancer screening, and work with the International Atomic Energy Agency to improve access to and quality of medical imaging and radiation therapy,” the MEA added.
With inputs from agencies