‘Right to Try Act’ Could Aid Mesothelioma Patients

Patients with mesothelioma may soon find an easier path to experimental drugs and treatments after President Donald Trump signed the “Right to Try Act” into law last week. The new legislation will give terminally ill patients a more direct and quicker line to drugs still awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bypassing the often-cumbersome application process. The law also will protect doctors and pharmaceutical companies from the legal risks of allowing unapproved treatments. The bill was passed by the Senate in August 2017 and cleared the House of Representatives late last month. “I do like the idea behind this law, yes, if the title reflects what the actual law is,” Dr. Raja Flores, mesothelioma specialist and thoracic surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Asbestos.com. “I just need to read more about it in depth.” Dr. Michele Carbone, a pathologist at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and mesothelioma specialist, disagreed with the premise behind the new law. “Terminally ill patients should not be used in place of experimental mice,” Carbone told Asbestos.com. “Mesothelioma patients are among those at risk of these new policies. The world is filled with stories of magic potions that never worked. I support a rigorous vetting of drugs by the FDA before distribution to the public.” Patients Searching for Effective Treatments Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer with no definitive cure. It typic...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news