Biden Outlines Progress In “ Moonshot ” For Cancer Cure In Boston

BOSTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the White House’s “moonshot” to find a cure for cancer has been making real progress in the past year, but more needs to be done as the nation prepares to elect a new president.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds of health care professionals and researchers gathered in Boston, the 73-year-old Democrat touched on a range of initiatives the “Cancer Moonshot” task force he chairs has been working on since President Barack Obama announced the effort in his final State of the Union in January.
Biden, who lost his son, Beau, a former Delaware attorney general, to cancer last year, said the administration is trying to speed up the federal drug approval process and make it easier for cancer patients to take part in clinical trials.
He also said the administration is encouraging cancer researchers to share more information among themselves, something that he says doesn’t happen as much as it should.
“We’re just getting started,” Biden said. “We’re on the cusp of enormous, enormous progress.”
He said more work also needs to be done to enhance cancer prevention and detection efforts, particularly among disadvantaged populations.
“This country has the capacity to do anything it sets its mind to,” Biden said. “We’re on the verge of some astounding breakthroughs, I promise you. Stuff that will absolutely take your breath away.”
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Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - October 20, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Health Local News Politics Cancer Joe Biden Lana Jones Source Type: news