WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08) and Andy Biggs (AZ-05), along with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced this weekend that an updated Right to Try proposal will be considered by the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The bill, formally being introduced today, will improve access to experimental treatments for patients with terminal diseases or conditions.
“Each day, families across the country receive the devastating news of a terminal diagnosis. Even with the amazing work done in American medical research and development, for too many, access to these potentially lifesaving treatments will come too late, or not at all. Right to Try opens the opportunity to trial-stage care and establishes the freedom for patients and their doctors to try therapies where the benefits far outweigh the risks. Americans – our constituents – should have every opportunity to fight for their life, or the life of their loved one. Whether it’s a father courageously battling ALS or a brave child living with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, they deserve the right to try,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’m grateful for the efforts of Congressman Biggs, Senator Johnson and all the advocates who worked together behind the scenes to get to this point. Now it’s time to get Right to Try through Congress and signed into law.”
“All Americans deserve the right and freedom to try to save their lives. I am pleased that, after years in the making, this policy is being considered on the House Floor,” said Biggs. “Right to Try legislation would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of Senator Ron Johnson, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, the Goldwater Institute, Laura and Jordan McLinn, and my predecessor, Congressman Matt Salmon. I am hopeful that President Trump will soon sign this act into law.”
“We are a resilient and resourceful nation, and when faced with long odds, Americans should be given the opportunity to harness our country’s vast medical innovation by accessing experimental treatments,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). “This bill was subject to months of negotiations and I thank Chairman Walden, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and Andy Biggs, and Senator Ron Johnson for their commitment to getting it ready for floor action… Following its passage, I look forward to swift Senate action so more Americans facing dire circumstances can find some light in their darkest moments.”
“This bill has been a long-time coming, but in striking the right balance for patients and their safety, the House is on track to deliver hopeful news for patients desperately seeking the right to try investigational treatments and therapies,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX). “We encourage our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important measure on Tuesday, and look forward to swift action by our Senate colleagues.”
Advancing this policy has been a long-time priority for Fitzpatrick and Vice President Pence, who signed Indiana’s Right to Try law while serving as governor. It has also been a priority for President Trump, who called for the bill’s passage in his State of the Union Address earlier this year.