The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Association for Clinical Oncology (collectively ASCO) are closely monitoring the current, acute shortages of cisplatin and carboplatin in the United States. ASCO has developed guidance for clinicians and recommendations to policymakers to help mitigate the current shortages and prevent similar situations in the future. ASCO is also keeping its members up-to-date as supplies of both drugs become available and encourages providers to report shortages and contact their lawmakers about the situation.

Dr. Brian Persing, a medical oncologist and hematologist in Mobile, Alabama and member of the Association of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s leading professional organization representing nearly 45,000 oncology professionals, will testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor Health and Human Services and Education today in support of increased federal funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. He will also advocate for robust funding of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

On January 30, 2023, the Biden Administration announced the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. The PHE enabled flexibilities that helped providers treat patients during the pandemic. With the PHE ending, many of these flexibilities are being phased out. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) summarized the known end dates of some major flexibilities of interest to oncologists.

Members of the Association for Clinical Oncology converged on Capitol Hill on May 2 for the 2023 ASCO Advocacy Summit where they met face-to-face with lawmakers to discuss critical issues in cancer care and research. The summit was part of a broader Week of Action where advocates from across the country were encouraged to send nearly a thousand letters to Members of Congress through the ACT Network urging them to act on key policy priorities.

The Food and Drug Administration expects additional releases of cisplatin from Accord Healthcare in the upcoming days. Providers and others can check on Accord supplies through their usual channels and can also contact the company directly at 866-941-7875, Option 2. The American Society of Clinical Oncology will keep its members informed as supply becomes available.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to allow clinicians, groups, and virtual groups in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) use the Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances exemption application to request reweighting of one or more MIPS performance categories for the 2023 performance year due to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). CMS expects to release the application in spring 2023. MIPS participants wishing to have one or more performance categories reweighted in the 2023 performance year due to the COVID-19 PHE must complete an application.

On April 19, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved polatuzumab vedotin-piiq (Polivy, Genentech, Inc.) with a rituximab product, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHP) for adult patients who have previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified (NOS), or high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL) and who have an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of 2 or greater.