Drugs (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson)
Despite having bipartisan support among lawmakers, the medical community urged caution Wednesday on a bill that would create a “right to try” for terminally ill patients in Wisconsin.
The legislation, which received a public hearing at the Capitol, would allow patients with a terminal diagnosis to have the option of seeking treatments that are currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration, but are not yet widely available. State Representative Pat Snyder (R-Schofield), a co-sponsor of the bill, said the measure would put the decision back in the hands of patients and their physician, ensuring that the patient has the right to explore every treatment option available to them.
Mark Grapentine with the Wisconsin Medical Society testified against the proposal, warning that it “circumvents the science” that’s intended to ensure the medications available to the public are safe and effective. “Everybody wants to move swiftly, because we want to help people,” he said. “But science sometimes has to take its time…you have to do the research, you have to do the studies.”
More than 30 states have already adopted so-called “right to try” laws.