WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 5247, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018. U.S. Representative Bill Shuster (R-Hollidaysburg) voted in favor.

Introduced by Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, the Right to Try Act will allow terminally ill patients to seek experimental treatment methods when they are unable to wait for the FDA approval process to come to completion.

Last year Pennsylvania became one of 38 states to sign Right to Try legislation into law, but no federal legislation has made it to the president’s desk as of yet.

H.R. 5247 passed the House yesterday with a bipartisan vote of 267-149.

“If terminally ill patients and their doctors agree on pursuing an experimental treatment method held up by the FDA review process, Washington should get out the way and give them the right to try, the right to fight for their lives,” said Congressman Shuster.

President Trump called on Congress to pass Right to Try legislation in his first State of the Union address in January.

“We also believe that patients with terminal conditions should have access to experimental treatments that could potentially save their lives,” said President Trump during the State of the Union. “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 is time for the Congress to give these wonderful Americans the right to try.”

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