Quad to unveil new initiative to prevent and treat cancer

The Quad initiative appears to be fashioned to build on the Cancer Moonshot launched in 2016 by former US president Barack Obama

The Quad grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the US will unveil an ambitious initiative at its leaders’ summit this week to prevent, detect and treat cancer, with the initial focus on cervical cancer across the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad grouping of India, Australia, Japan and the US will issue a separate factsheet on the Cancer Moonshot. (@ASPI_org)

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday described the “Cancer Moonshot”, to be announced at a special event on the margins of the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, as a “very significant” initiative that will add a human aspect to the “otherwise geopolitically dominated” agenda of the Quad.

“This is a major priority. Through this milestone initiative, the Quad aims to implement innovative strategies to prevent, detect, treat and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families,” Misri told a media briefing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US on Saturday.

“To begin with, we intend to collaborate in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

The Quad initiative appears to be fashioned to build on the Cancer Moonshot launched in 2016 by former US president Barack Obama. The initiative was revived by President Joe Biden and his wife Jill with the aim of preventing more than four million cancer deaths in the US by 2047 and improving the lives of those affected by cancer.

The US Cancer Moonshot has led to more than 95 new programmes, policies and resources. The term “moonshot”, derived from the launching of a spacecraft to the moon, is used to refer to very challenging and innovative projects.

This is not the first time the Quad has focused on health issues in the Indo-Pacific. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the grouping had come up with the ambitious goal of delivering one billion doses of vaccines to countries across the Indo-Pacific. In late 2022, the Quad expanded this initiative to work aimed at preparing for future pandemics and health emergencies.

The Quad will issue a separate factsheet on the Cancer Moonshot that will outline the components of the initiative, Misri said. He added that implementing sustainable development goals, delivering public goods and health security will be a key part of the Quad meeting’s agenda.

The Quad Leaders’ Summit will be hosted by Biden and it will be attended by Modi, his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese and Japan’s Fumio Kishida.