Now Law: McCaul, Butterfield Bill to Improve Pediatric Cancer Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10) – Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee – applauds President Trump for signing RACE for Children Act (Research to Accelerate Cures and Equity for Children Act) into law.

RACE will now allow the most innovative adult treatments for cancer to be studied for use in children.

Congressman McCaul: “Today is a big win for children suffering with cancer – the number one cause of pediatric deaths. The RACE for Children Act is now law, giving these children a hope for the future.  The legislative process is not always easy, but achieving significant victories such as this one for our children is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. I founded the Childhood Cancer Caucus when I first entered Congress because I believe it is incumbent upon each of us – especially those elected to serve – to do our part to rid this world of cancer, for the sake of my children and yours. I’d like to thank everyone who helped to push this legislation over the finish line, including my dear friend Sadie Keller who always reminds me that ‘together we can make a difference,’ and today is proof of that.”

The RACE for Children Act, which was first introduced in the 114th Congress, specifically updates the 2003 PREA law – the Pediatric Research Equity Act, which requires studies of adult drugs in children during the drug development process. While PREA has been successful in hundreds of cases in providing critical information on a drug’s use in children, it has never been applied to a cancerdrug.  RACE gives the FDA the authority to require a pediatric investigation into an adult drug if it uses molecular targeting, and the same target is “substantively relevant” to the growth of a pediatric cancer.

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