Dear Pfizer,

Let’s talk about pediatric cancer. The Super Bowl commercial announcing the Knock-Out Cancer campaign caught everyone’s attention. It was heart-warming and inspiring. But for those of us in the child cancer community, it was triggering. Pediatric cancer has not been a national priority, receiving relatively little attention and financial investment from the National Cancer Institute or the Pharmaceutical Industry in comparison to adult cancers. That said, some of us were suspicious of the ad. But many of us felt a glimmer of hope, believing maybe something was beginning to change and finally a major pharmaceutical company was stepping up to fight for our children in a big way. After all, it was a $16M advertising space seen by over 127M viewers.

The commercial featured a child beating cancer with the overwhelming support of Pfizer and thousands of medical staff and community along with a commitment to find 8 cancer breakthroughs by 2030. Personally, I applaud the initiative and hope that you succeed because everyone is affected by cancer and breakthroughs are desperately needed. The ad was beautiful, and most Americans were moved. But the child cancer community is angry because we believe it was misleading.

Historically, the pharmaceutical industry has not prioritized pediatric cancer because the financial investment in clinical trials and drug development has been miniscule compared to the investment in adult cancer. For decades, the excuse provided has been the same refrain: “We have to investigate in adults first, to make sure it’s safe and effective.” While that is true, where is the pursuit of pediatric trials following safety studies in adults? Also, let’s address the elephant in the room: It costs billions of dollars to carry a new treatment technology from the bench to the bedside, so perhaps there are not enough children who get cancer to receive a return on investment?

Nevertheless, many of us were hopeful that perhaps something would change after decades of advocacy campaigns and legislation from Congress to urge and encourage treatment development in the private sector and actively pursue pediatric cancer treatment development. We jumped on your website, eager to learn more about the Knockout Cancer campaign and the new initiatives and investment toward pediatric cancer. We looked for projects in the pipeline and pediatric investigational programs underway; we looked for clinical trials published on your website and on Clinicaltrails.gov, to see what projects you’re sponsoring. Then it hit us, the familiar gut punch we cancer parents know all too well: In the 100+ pediatric disease trials currently underway, we found only five pediatric cancer trials investigated and funded by Pfizer. That is less than 1%.

We realize the commercial never explicitly stated that the commitment was to tackle pediatric cancer, but the imagery did. Our disappointment quickly turned into anger, believing that the image of a child was exploited to tug at the heartstrings of America without any concrete investment to pursue research that will directly benefit children.

We all view things through our own lens. So perhaps most Americans did not think the ad was about childhood cancer. But we did. We saw that child and thought of our own child. We’ve been in that hospital room at their bedside, we’ve watched our child ring the chemo bell, we’ve had family and friends cheer for them at the “end” of treatment, we have felt the hope that they have beaten the disease, and we have felt the pain of losing them to the disease. Trauma is powerful. It changes the way we see the world forever. We watched that commercial through our lens of pain; the memories of our own child suffering, the fear and panic that they may die because there aren’t any more treatment options, the physical and emotional exhaustion from fighting for years on end, and the devastating, heartbreaking despair of losing our child. Do you know what it feels like to hold your son or daughter in your arms while they gasp and choke through their final breath of life?

That pain is what fuels many of us to keep fighting. We fight to honor our child, and we fight for the children who are sick now and the children who will be diagnosed in the future. We are fighting for change because we need better treatments for pediatric cancer that will spare pain and suffering for children and families in the future. We fight because they need us to fight for them.

Despite the anger we are feeling, we are also grateful to Pfizer for making that commercial because it has started a national conversation. So, let’s talk. Let’s help America understand there is work to do. Let’s talk about the lack of funding for pediatric cancer research and why; let’s talk about the reliance on outdated treatment for kids; let’s talk about the toxicity of current treatments and the damage it causes to a child’s growing body; let’s talk about the long-term side effects, organ damage, chronic health conditions, secondary cancers, and low survival rates; let’s talk about the pain and suffering that it causes for a child and their family, classmates, friends, and neighbors. Let’s start talking about solutions. Where do we go from here? How can we create change?

There are countless nonprofits across the country whose mission is dedicated to pediatric cancer. Many of these charities were started by us; the parents who have watched our children suffer or have lost a child to cancer. We are in the trenches, fighting for change by raising awareness, advocating for legislation, and fundraising for research. But the funding we raise is a drop in the bucket compared to what the pharmaceutical industry could do.

Let’s create a vision for 2030 that includes childhood cancer and builds a powerful research community that is actively collaborating for a common goal: To knock out all cancers for all people by taking actionable steps to prioritize children, our most vulnerable population, as much as adults in the fight against cancer. If the concept of PfizerForAll is to provide access to resources and treatment for ALL people, then taking a stronger stance in the fight against childhood cancer fits perfectly. Likewise, the #PfizerPartners campaign is a great way to include all types of cancer patients, so why not include children and parents who are in the fight?

Let’s work together to make pediatric cancer research a national priority. Let’s give our children better treatment options that are safer and more effective and give them a chance to live a long and healthy life. Let’s work together. We need your help.

Sincerely,

Lisa Amato, PhD
Kate’s Mom
Founder & Executive Director, Kate Amato Foundation