Beyond right to try

Enacting a federal right-to-try law that circumvents FDA’s oversight of access to unapproved therapies no longer looks like a sure bet. Still, the debate over right to try has stimulated initiatives to give more patients who have run out of alternatives the chance to try experimental drugs and medical devices.

Propelled by victories in 34 states and endorsement of their cause by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and 46 senators, patient advocates and libertarian activists pushing for federal right-to-try (RTT) legislation believed in January that victory in Congress was imminent. Like other populists who swept into the nation’s capital, they’ve learned that nothing in Washington is as simple as it seems. ...