House Republicans Send Right-to-Try Bill to the Senate

The House passed its version of federal right-to-try legislation, sending it for re-consideration by the Senate, which passed a similar bill last August.

The bill would allow terminally ill patients that are ineligible for clinical trials to use investigational therapies that have cleared Phase I testing, through a pathway outside of the FDA’s current expanded access program. Similar legislation has already been passed in 38 states.

Most Democrats opposed the House bill, arguing it would hinder the FDA’s oversight of investigational treatments — and contending that patients already have a program through which they can request access to experimental treatments.