Montana’s plan to become an experimental medical hub just pushed forward
Montana has finalized rules for a unique 'right to try' law that allows individuals to purchase experimental drugs without FDA oversight. The program requires informed consent and review by an independent board, though some medical experts express concern over potential safety risks.
Why it matters
This legislation challenges federal drug regulation norms and could set a precedent for how experimental medical treatments are accessed in the US.
The state’s effort to expand the “right to try” is making headway, and the first drugs are about to be reviewed.
As of this week in Montana, any biotech company with an experimental drug has a clear path to selling it to consumers. Companies whose drugs have been through preliminary testing—sometimes in as few as 10 healthy people—can pay $12,500 to apply to a newly established review board for approval. Once its treatment is rubber-stamped, the company can set the price of the drug and sell it via experimental treatment clinics, the first of which is likely to be up and running around the end of this year.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in