Biden's clemency for doc in chemotherapy fraud scheme contrasts with longtime 'Cancer Moonshot' advocacy

A doctor in federal prison for chemotherapy fraud was among the recent recipients of clemency from President Biden, a stark contrast given the president's longtime advocacy for cancer patients and survivors.

U.S. prosecutors said that between 2007 and 2011, Sachdeva's patients believed that they were receiving an amount of chemotherapy equal to the amount being billed to their respective health care benefit programs, but that patients were instead receiving reduced dosages, lower than the prescribed and billed amount of chemotherapy drugs.

"It's a very small thing to send this woman to jail for the next 20 years when you compare it to the damage she has done," U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III said in court. 

"We remain committed to protect the integrity of our health care system and will continue to strictly enforce our federal health care laws."

Biden's clemency in Sachdeva's case stands out in part from his history of advocacy on behalf of cancer patients. 

In 2016, then-Vice President Biden launched the Cancer Moonshot, aimed at bringing together cancer researchers and accelerating scientific discovery in cancer research. The initiative was announced shortly after Biden's son, Beau Biden, died from a rare form of brain cancer. 

In a statement last week announcing the new clemency actions, Biden said America "was built on the promise of possibility and second chances."