Posted by Michael Wonder on 21 Feb 2018
Trump pushing ahead on Koch-backed experimental drugs 'right to try' agenda
21 February 2018 - The Koch brothers have already backed efforts to pass similar legislation in 38 states.
Terminally ill patients can be desperate for any treatment that might save their lives. Even if the chances are bleak, it seems worth a shot. That dire need has led Congress to pursue a bill that would allow patients to access experimental drug treatments that bypass the Food and Drug Administration's clinical trial process. But the legislative fight pits President Donald Trump and other powerful conservatives, including the Koch brothers, against many voices from the medical community and patient advocacy organizations.
Trump prodded lawmakers last week to turn the bill, known as "Right to Try," into law. A lawmaker working closely on the issue said the president asked him point blank, "How close are you to getting this done?" Trump previously stressed the importance of the bill in his State of the Union Address.
