Calley Mangum | June 26, 2019 | SHARE: 
A bill that expands access to experimental drugs and medical procedures is headed to Governor Roy Cooper’s desk for his signature. On Monday, the NC House gave final approval to HB 934 – Right to Try Adult Stem Cell Treatments, a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to receive investigational adult stem cell treatments once they have exhausted all other methods of treatment.
HB 934 is an expansion of the Right to Try Act, which was passed in 2015. As NC Family shared with you earlier this year, “The current law allows for the use of ‘investigational drugs, biologic products, and devices’ for terminally ill patients who have exhausted all other avenues of treatment approved by the FDA. The additional language provided in this bill would also provide for the use of ‘certain investigational adult stem cell treatments’ for patients with a terminal diagnosis.”
Throughout its journey in the NC General Assembly, HB 934 has received bipartisan support. In fact, all votes on the bill in the NC House and Senate were unanimous, and there has been no public opposition whatsoever. While the Senate Health Care Committee did offer a Committee Substitute, changes made to the bill were minimal.
To read more about the details of HB 934, and how it seeks to prolong life rather than hasten death, visit NCFamily.org and read our story on the end-of-life bills that were introduced during this legislative session.
