California Governor Denies Terminally Ill Access to Potentially Life-Saving Drugs

Free Beacon ^ | 10/12/15 | Mary Lou Byrd

[Nachum]

Californians who are terminally ill will not be able to access drugs with the potential to save or prolong their lives as a result of Gov. Jerry Brown’s veto of the Right to Try Act on Sunday.

AB 159, the California Right to Try Act, passed the state assembly and senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“It’s disappointing that Governor Brown couldn’t see the need to allow Californians the right to fight to save their own lives,” said Assemblyman Ian Calderon (D., Whittier), who sponsored the legislation. “Both Democrats and Republicans wanted this for our California’s terminally ill.”

In his veto message Brown wrote that “Patients with life-threatening conditions should be able to try experimental drugs, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s compassion use program allows this to happen.”

“Before authorizing an alternative state pathway, we should give this federal expedited process a chance to work,” Brown wrote.

However, the expedited process by the FDA has not yet been put in place.

“Time is the one thing our terminally ill don’t have,” said Calderon. “I wish he would have given terminally ill Californians the hope of having more time to spend with their families by allowing them expedited access to potentially life-saving drugs.”

Brown’s veto of the act was a disappointment to many, including one firefighter suffering from ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“I am very disappointed in Governor Brown’s devastating veto of The Right to Try bill. This allows the FDA to retain control over my ability to save my own life while I still have time,” said Mike DeBartoli, a former Sacramento firefighter suffering from ALS.

[RoadGumby]

That is exactly right.

[nclaurel]

We can hope that Brown gets to be the first test case for his new rule.