Categories
Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine Politics Science

The cruel sham that is “right to try” continues to spread

Last year, I did several posts on what I consider to be a profoundly misguided and potentially harmful type of law known as “right-to-try.” Beginning about a year and a half ago, promoted by the libertarian think tank known as the Goldwater Institute, right-to-try laws began popping up in state legislatures. I wrote about how […]

Categories
Bioethics Cancer Clinical trials Medicine Politics Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The cruel sham of “right to try” comes to Michigan

There are times when supporting science-based health policy and opposing health policies that sound compassionate but are not are easily portrayed as though I’m opposing mom, apple pie, and the American flag. One such type of misguided policy that I’ve opposed is a category of bills that have been finding their way into state legislatures […]

Categories
Cancer Clinical trials Medicine Politics

Dallas Buyers Club-inspired “right to try” laws: Good movies don’t make good policy

One of my favorite shows right now is True Detective, an HBO show in which two cops pursue a serial killer over the course of over 16 years. Starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, it’s an amazingly creepy show, and McConaughey is amazing at playing his character, Rustin Cohle. I’m sad that the show will […]

Categories
Clinical trials Medicine Politics

No, “right-to-try” has not “saved thousands of lives,” contrary to Donald Trump’s claims

Former President Donald Trump bragged in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that “right-to-try” had saved “thousands of lives”? I realize that his speech seems like ancient history now, but I still had to ask: What’s the real story?

Categories
Medicine Politics Popular culture

“Right-to-try” in 2019: Still a failure, still all about the Benjamins (and weakening the FDA)

Federal “right-to-try” legislation was passed and signed into law by President Trump over a year ago. Advocates promised that lots of terminally ill people who were dying then would be saved by having the right to “try” experimental therapies outside of the context of clinical trials. That has not happened. This should come as no surprise, because right-to-try was never about getting experimental drugs to dying patients. It was always about weakening the FDA and making money.