Governor Bentley signs “Gabe’s Right to Try” act into law

MONTGOMERY — Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday signed Senate Bill 357, Gabe’s Right to Try, into law. This legislation authorizes access to and use of experimental treatments for patients with a terminal illness. The bill was inspired by 10-year-old Gabe Griffin of Shelby County who has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).“Gabe Griffin is a special child who has worked hard to advocate for this legislation,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “As a physician, I believe it is extremely important to give terminally ill patients the option to consider experimental treatments. Gabe’s story has touched many lives. I appreciate the Alabama Legislature passing this bill and giving Gabe and other children like him hope for the future.”DMD is caused by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that helps keep the muscles intact. The onset of this fatal disorder occurs during early childhood and causes generalized weakness and muscle wasting that increases over time. While medical advances have led to some very promising clinical trials, to date there is no cure.SB357 was sponsored by State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) and State Representative April Weaver (R-Brierfield).“Senator Ward and Representative Weaver introduced this bill and the Alabama legislature approved it unanimously, recognizing the real barriers that exist between patients like Gabe and modern treatments log jammed in the decades-old federal approval process,” Gabe’s father, Scott Griffin, said. “On behalf of all Alabama families living through the nightmare of a terminal illness, Traci and I appreciate Governor Bentley signing this law and giving us another possible path to victory in our race against time.”“I am so grateful that we in the Legislature were able to pass this important legislation,” Senator Ward said. “When you have a child sick with a life-threatening illness, you want that family to have every medical opportunity available for their son or daughter. Now, families and individuals in Alabama will have access to medical drugs that may aid their recovery, even as the drugs are going through the formal approval process.”

“Gabe is a special young man and an inspiration to so many, and I’m hopeful this law will bring him and his family one step closer to a cure,” Representative Weaver said. “The medical research community is on the verge of developing personalized treatments that could help children like Gabe and we must do everything we can to help them win their fight against time.”

A patient eligible for the Right to Try Act is an individual who meets the following criteria:

• Has a terminal illness, attested to by the patient’s treating physician.
• Has considered all other treatment options currently approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration.
• Has received a recommendation from his or her physician for an investigational drug, biological product, or device.
• Has given written, informed consent for the use of the investigational drug, biological product, or device.
• Has documentation from his or her physician that he or she meets the requirements of this subdivision.

In 2014, Governor Bentley met Gabe Griffin and the Ride4Gabe group bicycling across the country to bring awareness to DMD. Click here for a link to the video of Governor Bentley welcoming the group to the State Capitol.