Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, February 6, 2015
(INDIANAPOLIS) - 5-year-old Jordan McLinn took the mic in the State House chamber Wednesday to talk about the “Right to Try” bill.
Jordan suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a deadly disease leaving him with a life expectancy of just 20 years.
WTHR reports that supporters of the bill say it's a matter of life and death - a bill that would give Hoosiers the "right to try" experimental drugs, without FDA approval.
House Bill 1065, sponsored by State Rep. Wes Culver (R-Elkhart County), would speed up access to a drug that could help Jordan. The drug could add 50 years to Jordan's life.
The legislation is already law in four other states and the McLinn's are pushing for in Indiana.
The law would allow Hoosiers with a terminal illness to use new drugs, with a doctor's OK, that have only passed the first stage of FDA approval.
The issue right now is time. Full FDA approval, after clinical trials, often takes years. That's something Jordan doesn't have.
The McLinn's and the testimony of Jordan convinced the House Public Health Committee to vote yes. The family plans to be there every step of the way until 'Right To Try' becomes a law in Indiana.
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