During his first State of the Union Address, U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed a proposed national "Right to Try" law, which aims to make it easier for terminally ill patients to get access to experimental drugs. The idea has widespread and bipartisan support: A bill passed unanimously in the Senate last August, and 38 states have enacted their own versions. However, some physicians and medical ethicists, as well as the drug industry, oppose such legislation, arguing that it's unnecessary and not in the best interests of patients or the general public.
1. What's the idea behind 'Right to Try'?
The notion of giving terminally ill Americans access to a broader universe of experimental therapies has been around for decades. In the 1970s, many states legalized an apricot pit extract that was heralded as a breakthrough for some people with terminal cancer but had been banned by the U.S. government from importation and interstate commerce. (The drug, Laetrile, has never been shown to be a safe or effective treatment and isn't approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.)
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