WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced the Trickett Wendler Right To Try Act of 2016 on Tuesday during a meeting with ALS patients and those affected by the slow federal drug approval process.
Johnson’s bill will ensure that terminally ill patients, their doctors, and pharmaceutical manufacturers are allowed to administer investigational treatments where no alternative exists. Johnson had this to say about the legislation:
“Many of us have felt that sense of desperation – of urgency – when we learn that we or someone we love is fighting for their life. In 2014, I met with a brave Wisconsin woman, Trickett Wendler, who was fighting ALS. Trickett passed away last year, but her spirit and her fight are among the reasons I am passionate about this issue — because I know that today, and every day, millions of Americans are fighting similar life-and-death battles to save themselves and their loved ones.
“In an era of unprecedented medical innovation, we have to do more to ensure that patients facing terminal illnesses have access to potentially life-saving treatments. These patients don’t have the time to wait – often years and years – for the FDA to grant final approval. For Trickett, and for countless others facing terminal illnesses, now is the time to give more patients a chance to save their lives – to give them hope.”
The bill text can be found here.
###