Marc Serré, MP for Nickel Belt, issued a media release Friday throwing his support behind the Right to Try Act campaign led by the Adaptive Canuck ALS Foundation.
The campaign calls for parliament to pass legislation that would grant individuals with terminal illnesses — who have the consent of a specialist physician — the freedom to pursue experimental drugs and treatments before they are approved by Health Canada.
The proposed Right to Try Act would apply to individuals with ALS, certain forms of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and other terminal illnesses. Patients would choose a therapy in consultation with a consenting medical practitioner.
A key element of the proposed legislation would be protections for doctors from lawsuits or prosecution stemming from experimental treatment regimes, except in cases of gross negligence or willful misconduct.
The Adaptive Canuck ALS Foundation is a national charitable organization that brings patients and families in Canada living with ALS together to advance, fund, and support ALS adult stem cell research with the goal of accelerating approval for treatment for Canadian patients.
