U.S. House Passes "Give Kids A Chance Act" to Expand Pediatric Cancer Treatments

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a new law to increase treatment options for children with cancer. The legislation is named in honor of a teenage advocate who died from the disease. The "Mikaela Naylon Give Kids A Chance Act" aims to help young cancer patients access more clinical trials. It requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to study how to safely test adult cancer drugs in children. Currently, many new cancer drugs are developed only for adults. This can leave children with fewer treatment options, especially for rare or aggressive cancers. The law is named for Mikaela Naylon, who was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer at age 14. She advocated for greater research into pediatric cancers before her death at age 16. The bill received strong bipartisan support in the House. It will now move to the U.S. Senate for consideration before it can become law.