Trump Signs Bill for Terminal Patients to Try Unproven Drugs

[Fugus]

If you have something called a "brain cloud" you get a second opinion.

Yeah, but many won't be smart enough for that, they just hear "you are going to die from a doctor".

Glad to see another old enough to have watched that.

Edit: Also, the internet wasn't really there at the time yet, so personal research also wasn't much of an option.

[tankbug]

This is not a one-sided matter, like for example stemcell reasearch is. Unproven drugs might as well give the patients 2 days to live instead of the six months previously estimated, then again, I guess it should be their own choice, just like the right to "pull the plug" if their existence is hopeless pain and misery. This is the first positive thing to come out of the current administration, that I can remember.

[Redwyrm]

Unfortunately the results of any drug tests on terminally ill patients taking experimental drugs won't be useable to any large degree. Terminally ill patients usually have multiple things failing and are most likely already or recently on a laundry list of other medications and chemo treatments. Trying to find if a drug is effective or whether it kills the patient would be hard to determine in these cases.

Not saying the terminally ill shouldn't try, just don't expect the drug to get approval just from their applications on the terminally ill and dying. It's one of the reason drug companies haven't pushed for this in the past.

[telygroar]

Drug research trials do not reach humans without at least having proven results in increasing complexity tiers of animals (rabbit-->canine/horse-->ape, etc).

Yes, but with this bill, does it not bypass some of the need for them ?

[DarkTZeratul]

It will allow snake oil salesman to siphon money from desperate people for treatments that they will have to pay for in cash because their insurance won't cover the experimental treatments.

The law already allows snake oil salesmen to siphon money from desperate people for treatments that they will have to pay for in cash because their insurance won't cover it. They just have to call it alternative medicine.

[PACOX]

More half-assed legislation really just allows big pharma to use human test subjects.

If it was really about the who was about to patient, like others have said, they'd legalize medicinal marijuana and options to terminate on your own terms. Current options are what, pumping the patient full of narcotics anyway. At least let them take something thats not going to make them feel even worse, so then they have to take a bunch of other shit to off-set the opiate.

[Draco-Onis]

And if trump blocked it you would screech: "Trump is taking away any hope for terminally ill patients! What a monster"

No one cares about your feelings

This is something were he should have put regulations in place to protect people because you will have pharmaceutical companies take advantage of people so they can get data. An experimental drug yes but at what stage? what are the standards to allow humans to test it? we are talking about desperate people here there's just too much room for abuse. But I am sure you don't care, this is a more gray situation than black and white.

[Heladys]

I will happily shit all over Trump 365 out of 365 days, but I don't actually have a problem with this. Yes, I acknowledge that statistically this is unlikely to help anyone, but it gives them hope and sometimes that's enough. Hopefully some of the people desperate enough to participate can also leverage their guinea-pig status into obtaining some palliative care funding from the pharmaceuticals in order to defray leftover costs for their families in addition to the drugs they're sampling.

[Deleted]

So this is bad how? If you're a terminal patient you're doomed anyway, if the unproven drug kills you, so be it. If not you survive. Sounds like a rational choice.

[Kasierith]

Yes, but with this bill, does it not bypass some of the need for them ?

(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Biological product.--The term ``biological product''
has the meaning given to such term in section 351 of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262).
(2) Device; drug.--The terms ``device'' and ``drug'' have
the meanings given to such terms in section 201 of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
(3) Experimental drug, biological product, or device.--The
term ``experimental drug, biological product, or device''
that--
(A) has successfully completed a phase 1 clinical
investigation;

In other words, pulling from the actual bill, it is required that they complete the phase 1 clinical trials (ie drug safety trials where general populace take it and observe side effects). This is several steps beyond animal trials in the chain.

[cubby]

So this is bad how? If you're a terminal patient you're doomed anyway, if the unproven drug kills you, so be it. If not you survive. Sounds like a rational choice.

Believe it or not, only one side of this equation is biased. If you actually read the thread (*SHOCK*) you'll see many Cheeto haters praising this new policy. We're not immune to trump doing something good, it's just so rare.

[Lenonis]

So, since people don't like reading the article and love to just hate on pharma, the pathway to gain access to unapproved treatments for critically ill patients existed before under the FDA's compassionate use program:
https://www.fda.gov/ForPatients/Othe...cm20041768.htm

This removes the need to get FDA approval. There are pros and cons to that but this is not really a game changer for most people.

To repeat in special bold font for the tl;dr crowd the ability to get unapproved treatment existed before this.

[D Luniz]

broken clock is right twice a day, wonder what messes will occur for the next twelve hours

[Grapemask]

Believe it or not, only one side of this equation is biased. If you actually read the thread (*SHOCK*) you'll see many Cheeto haters praising this new policy. We're not immune to trump doing something good, it's just so rare.

Yep. This isn't a totally bad thing.

The only part that concerns me is this bit:

The measure gives people diagnosed with life-threatening conditions who have exhausted treatment options access to unproven drugs without needing permission from the Food and Drug Administration.

If used correctly, this could simply eliminate a bureaucratic hurdle. But given that most things aren't done correctly in CAPITALISM, this will also inevitably mean that a lot of absolute junk will be marketed to the terminally ill by preying on their weaknesses. It'll really be up to regulators to make sure it doesn't get abused.

[Mormolyce]

No one cares about your feelings

Says the guy who has literally posted nothing on this forum except his hurt feelings LOL.

I post here dont I?

Bazinga.

[Deleted]

Says the guy who has literally posted nothing on this forum except his hurt feelings LOL.

People with ear scalps and trashy tattoos can't hurt my feelings, don't you worry.

[Mormolyce]

People with ear scalps and trashy tattoos can't hurt my feelings, don't you worry.

The way you fling your self-pity around it kind of seems like nothing can fail to hurt your feelings LOL.

[Deleted]

The way you fling your self-pity around it kind of seems like nothing can fail to hurt your feelings LOL.

You're right. I'm a fragile rose.

[Yuujin]

You're right. I'm a fragile rose.

The rational right, constantly talking about the Left's feeling while simultaneously letting their fear guide their choices on election day. Must be exhausting to be full of so much hypocrisy and self loathing.

[Cthulhu 2020]

I was wondering why this sounded too good to be true.

This was penned and passed by congress, and then passed the Senate, and Trump then got to put his signature on it. Trump taking credit for someone else's work though, what else is new. Must be a day ending in Y.