State Rep. Jamie Thompson has sponsored new legislation that will give more people in Michigan access to life-saving treatments.

Thompson’s bill builds on the success of the original Right to Try effort, which was enacted in 41 states before being signed into federal law in 2018. Michigan’s original Right to Try law allows terminally ill patients who have exhausted all other treatment options to receive access to trial treatments and medicine not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

“My new plan reflects recent medical developments and expands eligibility beyond terminal illness to include patients with various life-threatening or severely debilitating conditions,” said Thompson, of Brownstown. “This specifically will benefit people with rare diseases who often do not have access to FDA-approved treatment. Many states are moving to update their laws with these new parameters now that the federal law is almost 10 years old and we continue to make strides in the medical field. Michigan should do the same to help provide residents with the best possible care. This bill will help save lives and increase access, while respecting fundamental patient rights.”

Thompson, who is a Licensed Practical Nurse, noted that several conditions, including multiple sclerosis, ALS, spinal muscular atrophy, and rare and aggressive cancers, could qualify under the bill and may be treated by new individualized treatments like gene and neoantigen therapies.

Thompson’s bill, which will soon be formally read into the record upon introduction, also includes provisions on informed consent. Patients must be notified of potential costs and side effects and receive details regarding all available treatments.

PHOTO INFORMATION: State Rep. Jamie Thompson, of Brownstown, introduces her plan to expand Michigan’s “Right to Try” law on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the state Capitol in Lansing. The bill will allow patients with various life-threatening or severely debilitating conditions to receive access to trial treatments and medicine not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration.