INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -
Terminally ill patients in Indiana will be able to use experimental drugs
that are not yet on pharmacy shelves under a new law signed Tuesday by Gov.
Mike Pence.
The measure was
spearheaded by an unlikely lobbyist: 5-year-old Jordin McLinn, an
Indianapolis boy who has a severe form of muscular dystrophy called
Duschenne and is not expected to live past age 20. A clinical trial drug has
the potential to add decades to his life, but it hasn’t received federal
approval and is therefore off limits.
The “right-to-try”
law changes that. Effective immediately, patients are able to access to
drugs that have passed at least Phase 1 of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s approval process and are still in the experimental stage.
The patient’s doctor must all sign off on the treatment.
“By your courage
and compassion, you have brought about and promoted the kind of change in
Indiana that will provide much-needed medicines to vulnerable Hoosier
families,” Pence said to Jordin and his family, who stood next to the
governor as he signed the legislation.
The full federal
approval process includes three phases and can take 10 to 15 years to
complete. Supporters say the law will help provide hope for those who have
no other treatment options.
Indiana is one of
eight other states, including Michigan and Missouri, that have either
adopted or approved such laws. About two dozen others are considering
similar legislation this session.