‘Right to try’ bill passes House

“Mr. Speaker, as a physician, I understand that access to investigational drugs and therapies is a deeply personal priority for those seeking treatment for their loved ones with serious, life-threatening conditions,” he said. “To my friends on the other side of the aisle, I have a simple question: Why do you not want to allow these patients to exercise their right to fight for their future?”

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the top-ranking Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, responded by asking, “if this is such a patient-centered bill, then why does every major patient organization overwhelmingly oppose it?”

In a March 19 letter to congressional leaders, a coalition of more than 100 physician and patient advocacy groups called the alternative pathway laid out in legislation “less safe” for patients than the FDA’s current expanded access process.