It takes 46 Mommas in Washington, D.C., to Conquer Kids’ Cancer! The St. Baldrick’s Foundation announces the second annual 46 Mommas: Shave for the Brave event taking place at Union Station in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, September 21st from 5-‐9pm.
Then, on Thursday, September 22nd, the 46 Mommas will take to Capitol Hill to lobby their Members of Congress for the Creating Hope Act, championed by Kids v Cancer, to create market incentives for childhood cancer drug development. 
Each of the 46 Mommas has heard the dreaded words “Your child has cancer,” and decided to get bald during September in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Why 46? Because on average, each weekday 46 families receive the news that their child has cancer. Comprised of 46 mothers from across the U.S., the 46 Mommas are on a mission to raise awareness and funds for life-‐saving childhood cancer research and inspire others to join in the fight to Conquer Kids’ Cancer.
By shaving their heads in solidarity with not only their children, but every child affected by cancer, the 46 Mommas hope to raise $1 million.
And on Thursday, the Mommas will take their message to the Hill and take for support for the Creating Hope Act. The Creating Hope Act provides market incentives for drug development for kids with cancer. It is championed by Kids v Cancer, a nonprofit founded by Nancy Goodman, another mother who lost her child to cancer.
Why do we need more drugs for kids with cancer? In the last 20 years, the FDA has initially approved only ONE drug for any childhood cancer. The only drugs kids have are “hand-‐me-‐ down” drugs developed for adults. These treatments are so toxic that the lucky kids, the survivors, are left with a raft of impairments. Markets for childhood cancer drugs are small and pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to develop childhood cancer drugs. The Creating Hope Act of 2011: Providing Market Incentives to Develop Drugs for Pediatric Rare Diseases.
The Creating Hope Act will be introduced with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-‐TX) and G.K.Butterfield (D-‐NC) on September 23, 2001. It was introduced in the Senate on March 17, 2011 by Senators Robert Casey and Scott Brown.
In an era of fiscal austerity, the Creating Hope Act does not require an appropriation.
The Creating Hope Act of 2011 will encourage the creation of new drugs for children who suffer from serious and rare medical conditions, including life-‐threatening cancers, by providing a voucher to pharmaceutical companies who develop such drugs. This voucher would be used to gain a priority FDA review for any other new drug, including a blockbuster drug, which would allow that drug to get to market sooner. The voucher would constitute a strong market incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs for children with serous and rare diseases, such as cancer. The CreatingHope Act builds on the “FDA Amendments Act of 2007,” which established a voucher for drug development for neglected tropical diseases.