The Food and Drug Administration approves more than 99 percent of applications for compassionate use of experimental medicines. But supporters of a right-to-try law want a more direct approach. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption
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Andrew Harnik/AP
Andrew Harnik/AP
Legislation that would allow terminally ill patients to get access to experimental drugs is headed to the president’s desk.
The House on Tuesday passed a “right-to-try” bill that was approved by the Senate in 2017.
“People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to find a cure,” said Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, on the House floor Tuesday.
The bill, which President Trump is expected to sign, has patient advocates divided.
Patient groups including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Lung Association opposed the bill. They say it could do more harm than good by giving patients access to drugs that may, in the end, shorten their lives.
Health Care
Why A Cancer Patient Opposes The ‘Right To Try’ Experimental Cancer Drugs
Why A Cancer Patient Opposes The ‘Right To Try’ Experimental Cancer Drugs
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