A law to give terminally ill patients access to medicines that have passed Phase 1 of the FDA approval process but are not yet on pharmacy shelves has passed the state House and Senate with bipartisan, near unanimous support. Gov. Bruce Rauner has 60 days to sign or veto the bill once it reaches his desk.
House Bill 1335, the Right To Try Act, was sponsored by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers led by Rep. Greg Harris, a Democrat representing Chicago, and Sen. Michael Connelly, a Republican representing Wheaton. Right To Try allows doctors to prescribe to terminally ill patients medicines being used in clinical trials.
Right To Try laws are already in place in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. Lawmakers in Florida have sent a similar bill to their governor for approval. The legislation has been introduced in 20 other states this year. The national bipartisan effort to give terminally ill Americans access to investigational medications is being led by the Goldwater Institute.