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CEOs Consider Ways to Intensify the Battle Against Cancer

On May 8, 2001, 22 top corporate executives and prominent citizens (Figs. 1, 2) convened a Roundtable to speed progress toward eradicating cancer as one of the world's major health concerns.

View larger version (69K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. CEO Roundtable on Cancer, May 8, 2001. (Left to right) Dr. Ernest Mario, Alza; Dr. John Seffrin, American Cancer Society; Senator Connie Mack, ShawPittman; Dr. Gerard Kennealey, AstraZeneca; Charles Blackmon, NC Mutual Life Insurance; Dr. Martin J. Murphy, Jr., The Oncologist; Dr. Laura Shawver, Sugen; Dr. Jed Weissberg, Kaiser Permanente Federation; Dr. Robert Cohen, The Marcus Foundation; Marguerite Donoghue Baxter, Pharmacia; Séan P. Lance, Chiron; Gary Reedy, Ortho Biotech; Peter R. Dolan, Bristol-Myers Squibb; Arthur J. Wichman, JP Morgan; Dr. Douglas Mendenhall, GlaxoSmithKline; David Epstein, Novartis Oncology; Richard J. Markham, Aventis; Robert A. Ingram, Roundtable Chairman, GlaxoSmithKline; Roger Sullivan, American Cancer Society Foundation; Dr. George Morstyn, Amgen. Roundtable members not in photo: Dr. C. Everett Koop, The Koop Institute; Dr. William L. Roper, The University of North Carolina School of Public Health.

View larger version (64K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. CEO Roundtable on Cancer in session, May 8, 2001.

The NDC (www.ndoc.org) is a forum that brings together leaders of national cancer organizations, government agencies, and academic institutions as well as representatives from public, private, and nonprofit entities, to foster collaborative efforts to overcome and finally eradicate cancer.

Former President Bush asked the executives for their commitment "to do something more about cancer prevention, diagnosis, and/or treatment within your own family as well as within your corporate family."

Mr. Ingram said the goal is to produce a series of recommendations to defeat cancer, the second leading cause of death in America. About 550,000 Americans are expected to die of cancer this year, more than 1,500 people a day. At the same time, more people are surviving cancer. An estimated 8 million Americans alive today have a history of cancer.

"There are things that we can commit to today that will, in effect, save a life," Ingram told the executives. "It might be your life, or mine, or that of someone we love. We have tremendous possibilities before us in marshalling a national effort to address this disease and strike it impotent.’

Several executives who represented the research pharmaceutical industry described recent scientific and medical advances that have greatly enhanced our understanding of cancer cells. David Epstein, President of Novartis Oncology, shared recent information about a breakthrough in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) using a new drug STI571 (Gleevec^TM; Novartis). Subsequent to the CEO Roundtable, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of STI571 for the treatment of CML [1, 2]. At the same time, patient groups and their advocates are poised to intensify their fight against the disease.

"The sun, moon and stars seem to be aligned for something significant to happen," said Peter Dolan, President and CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

In addition to corporate executives, the CEO Roundtable included Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General (Fig. 3) [3], and former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack of Florida.

View larger version (78K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 3. (Left to right) Séan P. Lance, Dr. C. Everett Koop, Dr. Gerard Kennealey, Dr. Ernest Mario.

Martin J. Murphy, Jr. Executive Editor

REFERENCES

1. Mauro, MJ, Druker BJ. STI571: Targeting BCR-ABL as therapy for CML. The Oncologist 2001;6:233-238.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Chabner BA. The oncologic four-minute mile. The Oncologist 2001;6:230-232.[Free Full Text]
3. Koop CE. National dialogue on cancer: a bold new effort. The Oncologist 2001;6:223-227.[Free Full Text]

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