PhRMA a national advocacy organization for pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, has joined a nationwide workplace wellness effort in becoming CEO Cancer Gold Standard accredited, certifying their commitment to the health of their employees and their families by meeting an exceptionally high standard of cancer prevention, screening and health care.
“Medicine and health technology companies have a profound understanding of the important role that prevention plays in the fight against any disease and the Gold Standard provides a unique opportunity to extend that knowledge and caring commitment to our employees and their families,” said Billy Tauzin, PhRMA President and CEO and a cancer survivor.
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard calls for companies to evaluate their benefits and culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; encouraging physical activity; promoting a healthy diet; providing appropriate screening to detect cancer at its earliest stages and providing access to quality care, including cancer clinical trials.
William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, the nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs that created the CEO Cancer Gold Standardâ„¢ in collaboration with leading health professionals. “Adopting the Gold Standard is a tribute to the leadership of PhRMA. They have shown once again that they are strong advocates in both words and deeds for companies and causes that support employees in the fight against cancer.”
The President’s Cancer Panel most recent report, “Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Policy, Program, and Personal Recommendations for Reducing Cancer Risk,” identified the CEO Cancer Gold Standardâ„¢ as an initiative that is helping reverse negative, unhealthy lifestyle trends and creating hope in the fight against cancer for America’s workers and their families. In just two years, eighteen organizations have become accredited through the program.
The CEO Cancer Gold Standardâ„¢ was created by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer in response to former President George H.W. Bush’s challenge to business leaders to be “bold and venturesome” in their battle against cancer. Joining PhRMA in this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat are: American Cancer Society, American Legacy Foundation, AstraZeneca, C-Change, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Novartis, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Quintiles Transnational, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota and Valeant Pharmaceuticals.
About the CEO Roundtable on Cancer
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives, then led by Robert A. Ingram the CEO of Glaxo Wellcome, now GlaxoSmithKline, to “do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families.” The CEOs responded with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard encouraging its widespread adoption in workplaces across the country. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standardâ„¢ and the accreditation process, please call 866-526-7830 or visit www.CancerGoldStandard.org.
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For more information:
CEO Roundtable on Cancer John Dornan, Executive Director P: 919-531-0966 E: John.Dornan@CEORoundtableOnCancer.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
To read the President’s Cancer Panel report, please go to: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp07rpt/pcp07rpt.pdf