Last year, Arizona voters approved a bill that allows terminally ill patients to use drugs that have not been federally approved. “Right to try” bills are now popping up across the country and are being supported by an Arizona think tank.
This week, Utah legislators introduced a “right to try" bill. Last week, the same thing happened in Georgia and Tennessee and similar bills are already on the books in five states, including Arizona.
And all these efforts are being supported by the Goldwater Institute.
"At the heart, 'right to try' is a personal freedom issue," said Craig Handzlik, the state policy coordinator for the Arizona-based Libertarian group. "When you’re faced with an end-of-life illness, federal regulators shouldn’t be the ones telling you how you’re going to fight your disease."
These laws require the drugs pass the first phase of federal safety testing, Handzlik said. Critics, however, still worry that these experimental drugs may harm patients.
