Friday, June 22, 2018

Billy Long: Right to Try law increases access to life-saving treatments

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

Over the past several years, 39 states have passed Right to Try laws, with Missouri being the third state to do so. These laws allow terminally ill patients, who have exhausted all other options, access to potential life-saving treatments that are not yet available to the public.

Before Right to Try laws were passed, patients were left with few options, including clinical trials. A sad example of this is the number of cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials, which is less than 5 percent. Another option was the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) compassionate use application process, which allows individuals to access treatments not yet approved by the FDA. What was intended to help patients access life-saving treatments turned into a process that was both expensive and time-consuming. Due to the complicated process, only about 1,200 people make it through each year.

Right to Try laws aim to help with this problem by expanding terminally ill patients’ access to investigational drugs not yet approved by the FDA. Last October, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, which I hold a seat on, held a hearing examining patient access to investigational drugs. This hearing was used to look at the FDA’s compassionate use application process, and legislation, such as Right to Try, that would build upon the FDA’s work and expand access even more for patients who have exhausted all other options.

In May, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed S. 204, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017. Soon after, President Trump signed the bill into law. S. 204 gives terminally ill patients expanded access to unapproved drugs through their doctors. This bill saves money and time for patients who sometimes have very little of either.

Along with increasing access to investigational drugs, S. 204 also has a number of provisions that protect patients. It ensures patients provide informed consent to use investigational drugs, guards patients from manufacturers who intentionally mislabel drugs and requires manufacturers to release annual reports on drugs that have not yet been approved.

After months of bipartisan work, terminally ill patients across the country will finally have more than just a few options. These men and women who are facing some of the toughest circumstances will now have a say in the care they receive. Moving forward, I plan to build on our work and continue to increase access and options to life-saving treatments.

5 comments:

So much winning with Trump the workers are out of jobs said...

Can't wait for Billy to respond to the layoffs at Mid Continent Nail caused by the new Trump Tariffs.

https://www.semissourian.com/story/2532801.html

Poplar Bluff nail manufacturer gets hammered by new tariffs on steel


Friday, June 22, 2018 ~ Updated 9:25 PM
By DONNA FARLEY ~ Daily American Republic

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff, Missouri nail manufacturer could be out of business by Labor Day according to testimony Wednesday during a Senate finance hearing in which Republicans and Democrats cited concerns with tariffs placed on imported steel and aluminum products.

Mid Continent Nail laid off 60 of its 500 employees last week, George Skarich, the company's executive vice president for sales, said Thursday. Another 200 layoffs could come in the next two weeks, Skarich said.

A 25 percent tariff on steel that started June 1 on the wire used to make the nails is pricing Mid Continent out of the market, said Skarich. A 10 percent tariff is also now being assessed against aluminum. Only imports from Argentina, Australia, Brazil and South Korea are exempted from the tariffs.

Mid Continent Nail is among the top three manufacturers in Poplar Bluff, and produces half of the nails made in the United States.

Anonymous said...

Billy Long is some sort of an expert on free trade and nails!


Billy Long: 2010 Sarah Steelman Interviews Long; Free Trade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFHsFNyExbE

Anonymous said...

And this is just the beginning of the winning. Wait until the other tariffs start hitting the farmers. Unfortunately, these simple minded half wits will blame Obama while the dumpster fire in the Out House cuts their Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and any chance at healthcare to make up for cutting the taxes on the top 1% and corporations. Add a gasoline tax and a toll tax on the highways to round it out.
As long as Blobby Long can keep making his Vegas buffet trips he will keep on a pickin' and grinnin'. Repugnicans have full control so everything is gonna be alright! (fer the rich that is)

Harvey Hutchinson said...

Anounymous 6:54

Nothing you write is of any consequence because you won’t even identify yourself; therefore your whole blog is a prevarication

Harvey HUTCHINSON 303-522-6622 voice&text

Anonymous said...

And your opinion is just that Harvey. It is only accepted as your opinion. Why don't you run for city council again? Let the people show you again how little your opinion means.