Experimental Drug Requests Rising Faster Than Previously Thought

Seven requests to take experimental drugs under right-to-try laws are before a large commercial ethics board for review, indicating more patients may be using the controversial pathway than originally thought.

There have been only two known requests to use right-to-try on a federal level since it went into effect last year. But 41 states, including California, have passed their own laws. The Golden State requires that ethics panels known as institutional review boards review the requests.

Michele Russell-Einhorn, chief compliance officer and institutional official for the Columbia, Md.,-based Advarra Inc., said her company has received seven requests to review right-to-try ...