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Article: Sadly, court is right about drugs for terminally ill
- Article from:
- Oakland Tribune
- Article date:
- January 16, 2008
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ALTHOUGH we are sad for the outcome, we think the U.S. Supreme
Court got it right Monday when it ruled that terminally ill patients
have no constitutional right to be treated with experimental drugs.
We have a difficult time finding constitutional ground on which
to base such a right.
A federal appeals court had agreed that the Food and Drug
Administration has the authority to deny access to drugs that have
not gone through extensive testing and received FDA approval, even
if it means the patient likely will die before the medicine is
approved.
The Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs and
the Washington Legal Foundation sued the FDA in 2003, seeking access
for ...