Health
Montana delegates experimental medical approvals to private board
Business Insider reports that Montana's right-to-try law lets a venture capitalist's private board approve uncleared treatments.
The short version
- Montana's right-to-try legislation relies on a privately operated review board to approve experimental medical treatments outside FDA oversight.[Business Insider]
- The board, created with involvement from biotech investor Niklas Anzinger, approved a hearing loss therapy combining sound therapy and an off-label drug.[Business Insider]
- Patients currently cannot access approved treatments because state officials have not yet licensed any experimental treatment centers.[Business Insider]
- Medical ethicists warn the private approval model risks conflicts of interest, while proponents cite lower costs compared to federal clinical trials.[Business Insider]
Key facts
- Montana uses a privately operated five-member review board run by Niklas Anzinger's company to decide which unapproved experimental treatments to authorize.[Business Insider]
- The legislation behind the system was drafted with help from state Senator Kenneth Bogner, the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives, and Anzinger.[Business Insider]
- Anzinger's review board charges medical companies a $12,500 application fee to seek approval in Montana.[Business Insider]
- The board authorized its first therapy, combining an antihistamine and sound therapy for hearing loss.[Business Insider]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unknown when patients will receive authorized therapies, as Montana has not licensed any experimental treatment centers.[Business Insider]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- Montana’s experimental treatment law hands a VC the keysBusiness Insider metered