WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas) on the latest episode of Doctor in the House. The two engaged in a conversation about the significance of the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Right to Try Act and explore potential avenues for its future enhancement. Sen. Johnson is a champion of Right to Try legislation, and he worked tirelessly until the Right to Try Act was signed into law by President Trump in 2018.

Listen to the full podcast here or on your preferred streaming platform.

Highlights:

Sen. Johnson: "What committed me to championing [Right to Try] on the Senate side was I met with a young mom, Trickett Wendler. And she had ALS.... But as you well know, Right to Try is not guaranteed that it's going to be a cure. What it gives patients is hope and a little more freedom. You are at that point in time when there's no other options. I mean, you don't qualify for clinical trials, your terminal, you have no place else to turn. Right to Try is there for you and your doctor to try something, and that ought to be your right as an American... But it is just a first step.... I would argue, and I have to introduced piece of legislation now called Right to Treat."

Rep. Burgess: "Today is the fifth anniversary of President Trump signing the Right to Try Act. This was and is a big deal. At the time of the bill signing, in the old executive office building, [the room] was filled with patients who were looking forward to being able to access treatments that previously had been denied to them. In fact, the President [Trump] had said during his State of the Union address that it wasn't right, that patients with severe illnesses had to travel from country to country trying to find a treatment for their disease when the treatment had been developed and could be available to them in the United States of America. It was a big deal the day that bill was signed [into law]." 

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