President Trump calls for Right to Try in State of the Union Address

January 31, 2018

In tonight’s State of the Union Address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass Right to Try legislation and give millions of terminally ill Americans the right to try investigational medicines that have not yet received full FDA approval. As the president said in his speech:

“We also believe that patients with terminal conditions, terminal illness, should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could potentially save their lives. People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance right here at home. It’s  time for Congress to give these wonderful, incredible Americans the right to try.”

Under the current system, terminally ill Americans may spend years searching for a potential cure, or struggle in vain to get accepted into a clinical trial. Right To Try offers hope by allowing terminally ill Americans to try medicines that have passed Phase 1 of the FDA approval process and remain in clinical trials but are not yet on pharmacy shelves. Right To Try expands access to potentially life-saving treatments years before patients would normally be able to access them.

Right to Try enjoys widespread bipartisan support across the country, is already law in 38 states, has passed the U.S. Senate unanimously, and is under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives.

To learn more about how you can speak out in support of Right to Try, visit RightToTry.org/advocate.