Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive |
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
It is anticipated that the duties and responsibilities of implementing agencies would be accomplished through existing resources.
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
The bill would authorize terminally ill patients, who have exhausted all viable treatment options, to access experimental drugs that have not yet been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bill specifically refers to drugs that have passed the first phase (safety phase) but have not passed the second phase (efficacy test) of the FDA drug approval process.
The bill would prohibit a manufacturer who provides an investigational drug to a patient from charging a fee. Physicians would also be prohibited from charging a fee or any related cost for administering an investigational drug under Chapter 489 of the Health and Safety Code.
HB 21 and HB 438 are similar bills.
The purpose of this legislation is to authorize a terminally ill patient to access investigational drugs that could potentially prolong a patient's life. Curbing the FDA's lengthy drug approval process for people who have no alternative option promotes limited government and empowers a terminally ill patient's individual liberty.
We support SB 694.