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Groups funded by Charles and David Koch have launched ad campaigns aimed at urging Congress to pass legislation that would make it easier for terminally ill patients to try experimental treatments. The bill passed the Senate unanimously, but FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told the House in October (archive) that the FDA already approves 99% of requests for expanded access/compassionate use, and that the primary roadblock is not the FDA, but drug supply constraints. He said that pharmaceutical companies do not continuously manufacture a drug undergoing clinical trials, but instead produce "discontinuous batches":
Several deep-pocketed political advocacy groups founded by Charles and David Koch are ramping up their advocacy before Congress on a niche issue: access to experimental drugs.
On Monday, several Koch-backed groups, including Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity, launched an ad campaign urging Congress to pass so-called "right-to-try" legislation, which aims to help terminally ill patients access experimental treatments that haven't yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The Senate unanimously passed a right-to-try bill from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) last August, but it has since stalled in the House. Supporters, including lawmakers on Capitol Hill and other off-the-Hill advocates, are focusing their efforts this month on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which would likely have to clear the legislation before the full House could vote on it.
The new ad campaign — also sponsored by Generation Opportunity and The LIBRE Initiative — directly addresses Congress, saying at the end of one commercial, "Congress, give patients a chance. Pass right to try." In addition to a series of digital ads focused on D.C. and key congressional districts, the campaign will include lobbying efforts by the groups, according to a press release. In a letter sent Monday to Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), executives wrote, "We strongly urge your committee to act expeditiously to approve Right to Try legislation and send the bill to the House Floor for a full vote."
Johnson told STAT he's doing everything he can this month to get the legislation passed, and suggested the vice president might become even more engaged. Vice President Mike Pence has supported right-to-try efforts since he signed a similar law as governor of Indiana.
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(Score: 5, Informative) by bob_super on Wednesday January 10 2018, @01:47AM (2 children)
Wrong way to read it. The Kochs consistently do "bad" things with their money.
The problem isn't the money itself being bad, it's specifically how they optimize getting more of it at people's expense, and how they use it for Fuck-You causes.
I can't say I understand how these kinds of people just go to their very comfy bed every night knowing that so many people just plain associate their family name with being evil. I know money numbs you, and "they're just jealous" probably helps... But many people are not jealous, just plain appalled.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 10 2018, @06:34AM
Life is a game to get the most and be remembered the longest. Those other guys are just upset they suck at it. They're too weak to ever be important thus they don't matter anyway.
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Wednesday January 10 2018, @08:57PM
I would guess that it's because they dehumanize the people below them and consider them inconsequential. After all, if they amounted to anything, they'd already be rich, right?