{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s204-115/featured_trickett-wendler-frank-mongiello-jordan-mclinn-and-matthew-bellina-right-to-try-act-of-2017-1526829710.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s204-115/featured_large_trickett-wendler-frank-mongiello-jordan-mclinn-and-matthew-bellina-right-to-try-act-of-2017-1526829710.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s204-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-01-24","title_override":"Right to Try Act: Should Experimental Treatments be Available to Terminally Ill Patients?","summary_override":"

This bill — known as the Right to Try Act — would allow the use of experimental treatments that haven’t been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by terminally ill patients in accordance with state law. Patients would be required to provide written informed consent that they’re aware of possible risks.

No producer, manufacturer, distributor, prescriber, dispenser, possessor, or user of an experimental treatment could be held liable for providing the patient with the with the treatment. No outcome of the treatment could be used by a federal agency reviewing the treatment to delay or otherwise adversely impact the review or approval of the experimental treatment.

The bill’s full title is the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018.

","official_title":"A bill to authorize the use of unapproved medical products by patients diagnosed with a terminal illness in accordance with State law, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017\n\n(Sec.2)This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt, from specified requirements and restrictions under that Act and other laws, the provision of certain unapproved, investigational drugs to a terminally ill patient who has exhausted approved treatment options and is unable to participate in a clinical trial involving the drugs. The manufacturer or sponsor of an eligible investigational drug must report annually to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on any use of the drug in accordance with these provisions. The FDA shall post an annual summary report of such use on its website.\n\nThe bill limits the liability of a sponsor, manufacturer, prescriber, or dispenser that provides, or declines to provide, an eligible investigational drug to an eligible patient in accordance with the bill.","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Terminally ill patients and their physicians; drug companies and insurers; states; and the FDA.","argument_for":"This bill would give families and individuals access to potentially lifesaving treatments that haven’t been approved by the FDA when they have no alternative. If the patient and physician understand the risks, they should have the right to try experimental treatments.","argument_against":"This bill is too risky because the FDA and clinical trial process exists to prevent unsafe treatments from being used. Besides, insurers may not pay for it and drug companies may not allow the experimental treatment to be used. It gives patients false hope.","bill_type":"s","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"s204-115","bill_id":"s204-115","formal_id":"S. 204","chamber":"senate","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2018-05-30T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":true,"enacted_at":"2018-05-30","vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2018-05-22T21:26:52.000Z","debated_on":"2018-05-21T00:00:00.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/senate-bill/204","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115s204enr/html/BILLS-115s204enr.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s204-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/senate-bill/204/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2018-05-24","related_bill_ids":["hr878-115","hr5247-115","hr2368-115","hres905-115"],"progress":"Enacted","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":true,"position_count":410,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Energy and Commerce","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Health","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF14","subcommittee":true},{"name":"Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSHR","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=s204-115","details":"/api/bills/s204-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/s204-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/s204-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/s204-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":46,"slug":"s204-115-trickett-wendler-frank-mongiello-jordan-mclinn-and-matthew-bellina-right-to-try-act-of-2017","latest_chamber_votes_id":"s204-115","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":7155,"yea_vote_count":6391,"nay_vote_count":740,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":true,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["government","health"],"issue_ids":["federal-agencies","government","health"],"sponsor_id":541}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Federal Agencies Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/black_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/grey_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/white_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"health","name":"Health","slug":"health","description":"Federal legislation around Health, encompassing: the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Research into diseases (Cancer, HIV/Aids, Ebola), Drug safety, Hospital care and prescription drugs.","page_title":"Health Related US Federal legislation, including Medicare, ACA, and research - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/black_health-1429042037.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/grey_health-1429042037.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/white_health-1429042037.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"William","vote_count":36,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/zmJqpvxZ/following","followers":"/api/users/zmJqpvxZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":0,"following_count":1,"position_count":15,"id":"zmJqpvxZ","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"5b8942a2-211c-40c7-8d6a-6bba3882c5ed","argument_for":"As long as I'm not paying for it (these trial drugs better be company or patient funded) I think it is unethical to deny a well informed consentable patient a chance at a cure or extending their life if that is their wish","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/5b8942a2-211c-40c7-8d6a-6bba3882c5ed"},"body":"As long as I'm not paying for it (these trial drugs better be company or patient funded) I think it is unethical to deny a well informed consentable patient a chance at a cure or extending their life if that is their wish","stance":"yea","created_at":"2018-05-23T00:48:44.355Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/5b8942a2-211c-40c7-8d6a-6bba3882c5ed.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s204-115","user_id":"zmJqpvxZ","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

William

Right to Try Act: Should Experimental Treatments be Available to Terminally Ill Patients?