Support the Right to Try Act, H.R. 878

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your representatives and urge him or her to support the Right to Try Act, H.R. 878, introduced by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa). This bill would prevent the federal government from interfering with state laws that already permit aspects of Right to Try, and it would grant terminally-ill patients access to drugs that have already passed the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) basic safety testing.

Thirty-three states have already enacted their own right to try legislation, including Texas, Alabama, and Oregon. H.R. 878 is a companion bill to Senator Ron Johnson’s (R-Wi) Senate version, S. 204, which was introduced in January.

The process for drugs to gain final approval from the FDA is usually a lengthy, bureaucratic endeavor. Many Americans with terminal illnesses do not have the luxury of time and cannot wait for a potentially life-saving drug’s approval. The Right to Try Act gives terminally ill patients the freedom to try a drug with potential benefits that outweigh the risks. This freedom assures the terminally ill a level of dignity and hope by giving them the right to options.

Moreover, the Right to Try Act requires that all other options are exhausted prior to seeking drugs in the FDA approval process through a physician certification. This qualification incentivizes patients to consider available clinical trials. It also prevents doctors, patients, and manufacturers from exposure to any additional liability.

Not only are patients with a terminal diagnosis affected by the difficulties of their circumstances, but their families as well. For these reasons, FreedomWorks supports the Right to Try Act, H.R. 878. Please contact your representatives to ask them to cosponsor the Right to Try Act of 2017, H.R. 878, to give Americans and their families an opportunity for hope during an area of life usually surrounded by fear and despair.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon, President and CEO, FreedomWorks