Penn. House Approves ‘Right-To-Try’ Bill

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved a bill allowing terminally ill patients to use drugs not yet approved by the FDA.

House Bill 45, which passed the chamber unanimously, would allow drugmakers to sell experimental drugs to terminal patients once they successfully complete a Phase I clinical trial. It also exempts doctors from any liability for recommending experimental drugs to eligible patients.

Rep. Robert Godshall, the bill’s sponsor, introduced similar legislation in the House’s last session, but despite unanimous passage by the House, it was never brought to the floor of the state Senate. If the bill passes, Pennsylvania will become the 32nd state with a “right-to-try” law on the books.