PAN joins letter to Congress in support of Clinical Trial Modernization Act
The PAN Foundation joined a letter with 130 other patient advocacy, public health, and healthcare provider organizations to Congress to express strong support for H.R. 3521, the Clinical Trial Modernization Act.
Clinical trials are crucial to advancing new standards of care that can improve survival and quality of life for people with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Patient enrollment in clinical trials, however, is an ongoing challenge and some population groups in the U.S. remain underrepresented. Concerns about the potential costs of participation, both direct and indirect, often prevent otherwise interested patients from enrolling.
As introduced, the Clinical Trial Modernization Act would make it easier for people to participate in clinical trials by reducing barriers they currently face. This legislation:
- Removes economic barriers to increase clinical trial participation from all demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic populations by allowing sponsors to financially support trial participants for both medical (e.g., copay and coinsurance) and non-medical (e.g., travel, lodging, childcare) costs associated with trial participation.
- Facilitates remote participation in clinical trials by allowing trial sponsors to provide patients with digital health technology (e.g., smartwatch and/or tablet) necessary for participation at no cost to the patient.
- Encourages clinical trial enrollment by underrepresented groups by allowing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to issue grants to support community education, outreach, and recruitment for trials, including grants to trusted messengers.
- Ensures that up to $2,000 of non-reimbursable financial support from clinical trial sponsors provided to patients is not subject to federal taxation or counted against income limitations for safety net programs (e.g., Medicaid).
These important provisions are key to increasing clinical trial participation and, thereby, driving innovation and the development of new treatments.