On September 27, 2023, The Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) Alliance for Health Innovation and The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) convened for a roundtable discussion on cancer, innovation, and healthy aging. Experts on cancer treatment, health policy, aging, and patient voices explored the value of biomedical innovation, and the importance of both the availability and accessibility of innovative treatments, with a focus on oncology, as a prerequisite for healthy aging.

This policy brief highlights the themes that emerged from the roundtable discussion and provides key policy recommendations to ensure equitable access to future biomedical innovations and contribute to healthy aging for all that can be applied not only to oncology, but also the broader biomedical innovation ecosystem within the United States:

1. Advancing policies that enable patients access to utilize the best medicines for them as prescribed by their physician.
2. Removing disincentives for innovation in policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and optimizing the use of accelerated pathways for new drug development.
3. Supporting access to innovative treatments with a focus on improving equity in our healthcare system.
4. Embedding patient and caregiver input in policy decisions that define clinical benefit, their perception of value, and that which will impact access to medicines that they rely on.

The Global Coalition on Aging Alliance for Health Innovation brings together over 20 patient advocacy organizations, scientists, and policy specialists to establish awareness of the importance of innovation in achieving healthy aging through investments, policy reforms, and strategic partnerships – both for the value to patients and for health system sustainability.