By Approving the False Hope Act, House Lawmakers Create Dangerous Pathway for Experimental Medications
Statement of Dr. Michael Carome, Director, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
Note: Late Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed False Hope legislation. Read Public Citizen’s letter to lawmakers about the legislation.
The House’s passage of the seriously flawed False Hope legislation takes us one step closer to the creation of a dangerous, uncharted pathway for accessing experimental medications that have not been shown to be safe or effective. The House lawmakers who supported the bill ignored pleas from four prior U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioners, hundreds of bioethicists and several dozen patient safety, consumer and physician groups. If enacted into law, this bill will expose vulnerable patients to risks of serious harm, including dying earlier and more painfully than they otherwise would have, without appropriate safeguards.
###