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Senate committee passes 'Hope for Georgia Patients Act' to expand access to individualized experimental treatments
Summary
The Senate Health Care Services Committee passed SB 72, the 'Hope for Georgia Patients Act,' unanimously after testimony from patient advocates, think-tank policy experts and family members who said the bill would create a physician-directed pathway for patients with rare or life-threatening diseases to access individualized investigational
The Senate Health Care Services Committee unanimously passed SB 72, the Hope for Georgia Patients Act, a bill that creates a physician-directed pathway for Georgia patients with rare or life-threatening conditions to pursue individualized investigational treatments not yet broadly available in the United States.
Naomi Lopez, senior fellow for health-care policy at the Goldwater Institute, told the committee the proposal updates Georgia’s earlier Right to Try framework to accommodate recent advances such as individualized gene therapies. ‘‘Georgia has an important opportunity to help lead the nation,’’ Lopez said, arguing that federal approval processes were designed for mass-market products and do not fit treatments tailored to a single patient’s genetic profile.
Rich D’Augustines and other family-members and patient-advocates described personal experiences with rare diseases and limited treatment options. D’Augustines said experimental gene therapies had provided measurable benefit for his father during a clinical trial and argued the bill would have expanded access for patients who had exhausted other options. ‘‘This legislation would have given Tara a chance,’’ he said, referring to his late wife’s effort to access experimental care.
The committee considered a substitute that clarified which state agency could take disciplinary actions and tightened language on research materials. Committee members asked about protections against use of embryonic stem cells and were directed to bill language that excludes products ‘‘derived from human primary or secondary embryonic stem cells or cell lines’’ and prohibits substances ‘‘obtained from abortion.’’ The sponsor explained the substitute also clarifies that the Department of Community Health — not DPH — is the agency referenced for certain certification matters.
Supporters described safeguards in the bill: treatments must be recommended by a physician, patients must provide written informed consent, and treatments must be administered at facilities with Federalwide Assurance (FWA) oversight for human-subject protections. Testimony emphasized that the measure creates a legal safe harbor to allow physicians and hospitals to offer individualized therapies that otherwise might be unavailable to U.S. patients.
Several faith and patient-advocacy groups testified in favor of the bill. The committee substitute and sponsor language were discussed in committee; Chairman Kauser moved to pass the bill and the motion was seconded. The committee recorded the vote as unanimous and the chair announced the bill passed out of committee.
