Public health advocates urge action on menthol, applaud accomplishments like patient navigation as Biden administration celebrates 2-year anniversary of ‘cancer moonshot’

As the Biden administration celebrated the two-year anniversary of its Cancer Moonshot initiative Friday, public health experts applauded its accomplishments, such as ensuring insurance coverage of cancer navigators and the establishment of ARPA-H—a governmental agency that funds cutting-edge biomedical research.

They also vehemently urged the Biden administration to ban menthol cigarettes, a move they say could help the program achieve a good portion of its mission—to prevent 4 million cancer deaths by 2047—in one fell swoop.

Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, told Fortune that while she celebrates Cancer Moonshot’s achievements, there is no “scientific rationale behind” delaying a menthol ban, adding that the proposed action has been “on the table for entirely too long.”

Fortune Well - Feb. 4, 2024