The DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that dying patients have a due process right to access drugs once they have been through FDA approved safety trials.
Yes, 70 years after the FDA was first imposed on us, and 40 years after its demands were intensified, a court has spelled out that people whose lives are in danger have a right to buy drugs that might save them, and others (including pharmaceutical companies) have a right to come to the aid of someone whose life is in danger without interference.
Will this bit of clear thinking and respect for people’s rights make it into Supreme Court precedent? Stay tuned…
I wonder how many doctors or hospitals fail to recommend life-saving treatments because lack of government approval leaves them vulnerable to expensive malpractice litigation? I also wonder what the relationship is between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies?