President Trump signs 'right to try' law to get experiment drugs for terminal patients

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: WFMY NEWS

URL: https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/nation-now/president-trump-signs-right-to-try-law-to-get-experiment-drugs-for-terminal-patients/465-c036ce19-f1be-4ba9-b70d-b1ed9e8479a6

by John Fritz



 President Trump signed legislation Wednesday to give terminally ill patients the ability to access experimental drugs that have not won approval from the Food and Drug Administration.   

The "right to try" measure will let patients who have exhausted other options access drugs in early stages of FDA review. Trump has frequently noted his support for the idea, most recently during his State of the Union address in January.   

"For countless patients, time is not what they have," the president said. "With the right to try, patients with life-threatening illnesses will finally have access to experimental treatments that could improve or even cure their conditions."

Trump has sought several changes in FDA policy this year, most of which have been aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs or speeding their review. Hinting at the possibility of another announcement, Trump said that pharmaceutical companies would announce a “voluntary, massive” reduction in prices in coming weeks.

The "right to try" legislation gives terminally ill patients the ability to access drugs that have cleared the initial phase of review but have not been fully cleared by the FDA. The House approved a Senate-passed bill earlier this month on a mostly party-line vote.

Supporters said the measure gives a lifeline to patients who don’t have another option. Opponents are concerned about cutting the FDA out of the process and have questioned whether it would, in fact, give patients greater access to experimental drugs.


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[Maj. Bill Martin]

A good idea that would be popular with most people.  So I predict it will get little coverage from the mainstream press.

[SirLinksALot]

Some questions come up for me... what kind of treatment is allowed to be tried? if the answer is anything, then, you leave the desperate patient vulnerable to hoaxes out there ( and potentially beneficial cures as well ).

On the other hand, if the principle is LIBERTY ( i.e., Freedom to live and take risks as you see fit ), then this bill is totally compatible and with the spirit of the constitution.

As for this counter argument in the article: it will leave patients vulnerable to medicines that might not work or even be harmful

Well yes, isn't that the whole point? These patients are gravely ill already so they have nothing to lose, to be blunt, and there's always a chance that one of the experimental medicines WILL work, which would speed up the trial process.

[Suppressed]

I'll take freedom and liberty to try things, thanks.

[edpc]

I'll take freedom and liberty to try things, thanks.

You can believe there is a phone book sized waiver to be signed that gives away a lot of your rights.