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Lee WB, Shachar C, Chang P. Recent developments in health law. THE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS : A JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS 2008; 36:191-199. [PMID: 18315772 DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-720x.2008.00248.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In May of 2006, the Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Development Drugs (Abigail) appeared to have won a victory when a divided panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) ruled that “terminally ill, mentally competent adult patients” had a constitutionally protected right to access investigational medications. This victory was short lived, however. On August 7, 2007, the D.C. Circuit sitting en banc reversed this earlier decision, marking a setback in Abigail's campaign for removal of the regulatory barriers that currently prevent terminally ill patients from gaining early access to investigational drugs (i.e., experimental drugs). This loss represents a big blow for Abigail's cause, because there is no guarantee that they will have another day in court, and attaining their goal through other branches of the government remains uncertain.
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