FGGAM NEWS just received this news release from the New Mexico House Republicans Communications Office.
House Approves “Right to Try” for Terminally Ill Patients
Santa Fe, NM – Tonight the House of Representatives unanimously approved House Bill 228, known as the “Right to Try” Act. The bill is sponsored by Reps. Rebecca Dow (R-Grant, Hidalgo and Sierra) and Kelly Fajardo (R-Valencia). It was previously amended to combine it with House Bill 263, a similar Right to Try measure sponsored by Rep. Jane Powdrell-Culbert (R-Sandoval).
The Right to Try Act would establish a process by which terminally ill patients who have exhausted all other conventional treatment options could access new medicines not yet fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bill establishes eligibility requirements for terminally ill patients to apply for approval to receive investigational treatments, including a doctor’s recommendation and informed consent.
Over thirty-three states have adopted Right to Try laws to make it easier for terminally ill individuals to obtain experimental treatments. Ohio was the most recent state to approve the idea when it passed with broad bipartisan support in January. These laws were enacted because the process to apply for the FDA’s “compassionate use” program is so onerous that it can take up to one hundred hours just to complete the application, and the FDA only issues around 1,000 compassionate use exceptions each year.
“Right to Try promotes hope. The will to live is strong, and we should be helping people investigate every option to pursue life,” said Dow. “Although the FDA’s compassionate use program is well-intentioned, it doesn’t do enough to help terminally ill patients access care that could extend their lives. I am grateful that the House has agreed with this proposal to remove barriers to treatment for these patients. I look forward to presenting this bill to my colleagues in the Senate.”
House Bill 228 will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
