American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) officials have expressed their support for the STOP Pain Act (HR 5249), bipartisan legislation that is designed to expand chronic pain research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The ACS CAN applauded Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Lois Capps (D-CA) for prioritizing chronic pain research.
The goal of the bill is to conduct more research that will help scientists better understand pain. In turn, this will help researchers find more therapies to treat chronic pain and develop alternative medicines that replace opioids -- decreasing the opioid addiction epidemic in the U.S.
“We hope that through the NIH Coordinating Committee, more emphasis and resources will be targeted to research initiatives that promote pain and symptom management with the goal of improving quality of life for cancer patients, survivors and others with serious diseases,” AHA representatives said in a statement.
The ACS CAN is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the ACS. The organization hopes to support legislative solutions and evidence-based policies that could end cancer’s reign as a significant global health concern.
The ACS CAN urges political and medical leaders and candidates to prioritize cancer.
