Menu
It’s never a situation we plan to be in, but have you ever wondered what your options would be if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness? Unfortunately, many people are faced with this reality and up until last year, were often told there were no options. However, the Right to Try Act may have changed this for some individuals.
In this blog post I will discuss the new law, how it could affect terminally ill patients, and how to ensure that your wishes are honored through an updated patient advocate designation (medical power of attorney).
On May 30, 2018, President Trump signed into law US Congress Senate Bill 204, known as the Right to Try Act. This law is designed to give terminally ill patients who have exhausted all other treatment options the choice of whether they would want to try an experimental drug which has not been approved by the FDA.
Prior to this law coming into effect only certain states allowed this type of use of non-FDA approved treatments. Often, terminally ill patients are not candidates for treatment trials, so they were being denied access to potentially beneficial drugs. The Right to Try Act (Section 561B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act) created a Federal law requiring all States to allow access to potential breakthrough medications for terminally ill patients who meet certain qualifications.
The Act was designed to expand the scope of individual liberties, giving patients the right to choose whether they are willing to take the risk of an unapproved treatment, if it may mean a better outcome for their condition.
The Right to Try Act permits or allows eligible patients to have access to eligible investigational treatments.
An eligible patient is a patient who has:
An eligible investigational drug is a drug:
Whether you think you would want to try an experimental treatment or not, its important that your wishes are communicated. If you were to become incapacitated and no longer able to make treatment decisions for yourself, your patient advocate would do this on your behalf.
Since the enactment of the Right to Try Act, we have included a section in our patient advocate document addressing this important issue. It allows you to state in writing whether you would want your patient advocate to consider experimental treatment options. Without providing this direction, your patient advocate may not know what you would want in such a situation.
We believe that making your wishes known and ensuring you have properly drafted power of attorney documents is the most important piece of any estate plan. If you do not have these documents or would like older documents reviewed, please contact our office for a free telephone consultation. I will personally review your documents and give you an honest assessment of whether the documents will meet your needs.
© 2025 Mobile Legal Services, PLLC | View Our Disclaimer | Privacy Policy