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Senate Approves Experimental Drugs for Terminally-Ill

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Senate lawmakers unanimously approved the Right to Try bill Tuesday that its sponsor says will give “hope to the hopeless.”

The Right to Try bill would allow terminally-ill patients to receive experimental drugs as long as they meet three standards.  

Valparaiso Republican Senator Ed Charbonneau, the bill’s sponsor says, first, the medications must have passed through the first of three phases in the FDA’s approval process.

“Two, the individual has a terminal disease with no comparable treatment options, and three, risk to the individual is no greater than the probable risk from the individual’s disease or condition,” Charbonneau said.

The Senate made two small changes to the bill after it left the House.  The bill’s House sponsor says he plans to ask his caucus to agree to the changes as soon as possible and send the measure to the governor.

Brandon Smith is excited to be working for public radio in Indiana. He has previously worked in public radio as a reporter and anchor in mid-Missouri for KBIA Radio out of Columbia. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, Illinois as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, Missouri, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.