SALEM, Ore. (Apr. 8, 2015) – A bill that would nullify in practice some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules that prevent terminally ill patients from accessing treatments unanimously passed the Oregon state House yesterday.

Introduced at the request of House Interim Committee on Health Care, House Bill 2300 (HB2300) gives terminally ill patients access to medicines that have not been given final approval for use by the FDA. It passed the state House unanimously with a 59-0 vote on April 7.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits general access to experimental drugs. However, under the expanded access provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 360bbb, patients with serious or immediately life-threatening diseases may access experimental drugs after receiving express FDA approval. HB2300 bypasses the FDA expanded access program and allows patients to obtain experimental drugs from manufacturers without obtaining FDA approval. This procedure directly conflicts with the federal expanded access program and effectively nullifies it in practice.

“The Right to Try Act is a no-brainer,” said Mike Maharrey of the Tenth Amendment Center. “When someone is on their deathbed, the fact that FDA regulations would let them die rather than try, has got to be one of the most inhumane policies of the federal government. Every state should nullify the FDA like this.”

Health care providers are also protected under the bills, with a prohibition against revoking a license or issuing sanctions based on recommendation or issuance of such investigational treatments. HB2300 reads, in part:

A health care practitioner who participates in administering a treatment described in section 3 of this 2015 Act, or a health care facility or professional organization or association involved in the administration of the treatment, is not subject to civil or criminal liability for acts or omissions of acts related to administering the treatment…

A licensing board, health care facility, health care practitioner or professional organization or association may not subject a health care practitioner to discipline, including suspension, loss of license, loss of privileges, loss of membership or any other penalty, for participating in administering a treatment

However, HB2300 does contain some provisions limiting patient access to experimental medicines and procedures. Children under the age of 15 would be denied the right to try in all circumstances under the bill. Patients would only be eligible for the experimental medicines and procedures after it is determined that they only have a year to live. Other states have passed this type of legislation without these restrictive provisions.

“Those who favor Right to Try might let their state legislators know that faced with a terminal illness, children should have the same Right to Try as adults do,” Cascade Policy Institute founder Steve Buckstein said.

Nevertheless, HB2300 is an important step in the right direction toward health freedom. Legislatures in thirteen other states have already passed Right to Try Laws similar to this Oregon bill, and more than 20 states are considering such measures in 2015.

Although these laws only address one small aspect of FDA regulation, they provide us with a clear model demonstrating how to nullify federal statutes that violate the Constitution. The strategy narrows the influence of nullification to limited aspects of the law itself. The strategy works because it focuses on ending specific federal policies large numbers of Americans from across the political spectrum oppose.

Now that HB2300 has passed through the state House successfully, the state Senate must concur with their decision before the bill can be put onto the Governor’s desk.

ACTION ITEMS
For Oregon: Take measures to support this bill AT THIS LINK.

For other states: Take the steps to get a similar bill passed in your state at this link.

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