The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) applauds the decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to grant a temporary restraining order on the implementation of the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Interim Final Rule. Judge Blake’s decision delays the model’s implementation for 14 days while she considers a preliminary injunction, which would further delay the model. The decision notes that there is likely to be irreparable harm if the rule goes into effect January 1, suggesting that the preliminary injunction will likely be granted.

ASCO today issued comprehensive recommendations to guide the cancer community’s eventual recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. By applying lessons learned during the pandemic, ASCO’s Road to Recovery Report: Learning from the COVID-19 Experience to Improve Clinical Research and Cancer Care intends to make cancer care and research opportunities more accessible to and equitable for patients in every community. Importantly, ASCO aims, with its recommendations, to address long-standing cancer care disparities that have been highlighted by the pandemic.

One of the nation’s leading cancer organizations today called for new actions to reduce disparities in cancer outcomes affecting racial and ethnic minorities, rural populations, sexual and gender minorities, people without insurance, and other disadvantaged populations.

ASCO and ACCC today announced a new collaboration to foster participation in cancer treatment trials to more fully reflect the diversity of people at risk for or living with cancer.

“We commend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for releasing draft guidance to encourage the inclusion of older adults in clinical trials of drugs for the treatment of cancer. We thank Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence, for his leadership on this important issue.

Today, 106 organizations representing patients, providers, medical researchers, survivors, and families joined together to urge Congress to include the bipartisan CLINICAL TREATMENT Act (H.R. 913) in the upcoming ‘must pass’ healthcare extenders package, which is expected to pass this spring.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology released a position statement, “Block Grants in Medicaid & Their Impact on Cancer Care,” summarizing the Society’s concerns about the potential negative impact that recent proposals to establish annual limits on federal funding for Medicaid—or block grants—could have on patients with cancer.