Capital Hill: Roger Daltrey Testifies On Behalf Of Children With Cancer

Rock legend Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, makes comments during a panel discussion hosted by the House Energy and Commerce committee, on Wednesday, March 23, 2016, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. During the event, panelists addressed the merits of the 21st Century Cures Act which the House passed in July but which is awaiting a vote in the Senate.

Roger Daltrey shows that Who cares about next generation of medicine

WASHINGTON — Roger Daltrey, the British rock legend and lead singer of The Who, brought his celebrity star status to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to shine a spotlight on a medical bill working its way through Congress.

Daltrey, the special guest speaker during a panel discussion held in the House Energy and Commerce committee hearing room,  co-founded Teen Cancer America, a foundation intended “to help hospitals and healthcare professionals bridge the gap between pediatric and adult oncology care,” according to the group’s website.

From his "My Generation" focus of the 1960s, Daltrey, 72, is now showing himself as an advocate for the next generation of medicines. Daltrey and other panel speakers urged the Senate to pass the 21st Century Cures Act which the House of Representatives passed in July.

According to a brochure from the Energy and Commerce committee the act if passed will help in the following ways:

• Remove barriers to increased research collaboration.
• Incorporate the patient perspective into the drug development and regulatory review process.
• Modernize clinical trials.
• Provide new incentives for the development of drugs for rare diseases.
• Invest in 21st century science and next generation investigators.
• Help keep and create jobs here at home.

In closing Wednesday's panel discussion, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., the committee chairman, generated some laughter as he tweaked a famous quote to pay a tribute to Daltrey and his band: "If not now, when? If not us, Who?"

bongioanni.carlos@stripes.com

Cause Celeb: Roger Daltrey of The Who headlines Capitol Hill panel on childhood diseases

From left, Roger Daltrey, lead singer of the English rock band The Who and co-founder of Teen Cancer America, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) participate in a “conversation on child cures,” Wednesday on Capitol Hill. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Celeb: Roger Daltrey, the legendary frontman for British rock outfit The Who.

Cause: Daltrey and The Who’s guitarist, Pete Townshend, founded Teen Cancer America, an organization that encourages hospitals to cater better to patients who are too old for cancer-wing programs and playrooms aimed at kids — and yet too young for the adult facilities.

Scene: The rocker appeared on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning on a panel convened by the House Energy and Commerce Committee about speeding cures for diseases that affect young people. Daltrey — rebelling against the typical boxy-suit lobbyist uniform in a button-down vest and slick lace-up boots — spoke alongside committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and top Democrat Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) as well as parents and survivors of illnesses.

Daltrey did his best nod-and-look-interested routine through even the driest legislative talk, and even endured Upton’s cornily pun-ish reference to his band: “If not now, when?” the chairman asked of action on House-passed legislation that would speed up clinical trials and drug development. “And if not us, who?”

Soundbite: Daltrey said that facilities his charity has helped fund that accommodate teenage cancer patients are translating into better prognoses for sick teens. “We know this is improving outcomes… and we need help from you.”

Emily Heil is the co-author of the Reliable Source and previously helped pen the In the Loop column with Al Kamen.