States' rights

State right-to-try laws, which have been signed by a Democratic governor in Colorado and a Republican in Louisiana, are responses to deep dissatisfaction with the pace of drug development and frustration with the ways biopharma companies have responded to pleas for early access to experimental drugs.

The two new laws, and similar bills pending in other states, are based on model legislation drafted by the libertarian Goldwater Institute. They are promoted as giving patients with life-threatening conditions and no alternatives the right to access experimental drugs early in the development process - without enrolling in clinical trials or seeking FDA approval...