Abigail's next steps

Patient groups looking for easier access to experimental medicines were dealt a setback last week when the U.S. Supreme Courtrefused to hear a case brought against FDA and HHS by the Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) and Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs. Based on their track record at FDA and on Capitol Hill, the plaintiffs believe they are more likely to achieve their goals through legislative means than through administrative solutions.

WLF and the alliance filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2003, arguing terminally ill patients had a constitutional right to have access to experimental compounds that have successfully completed Phase I testing...