HB 43-NEW DRUGS FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:35:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE  BILL   NO.  43,  "An  Act   relating  to  prescribing,                                                               
dispensing,   and   administering    an   investigational   drug,                                                               
biological product, or device by  physicians for patients who are                                                               
terminally  ill;  providing  immunity related  to  manufacturing,                                                               
distributing,  or  providing  investigational  drugs,  biological                                                               
products,  or  devices;  and relating  to  licensed  health  care                                                               
facility requirements."                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:36:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BROOKE  IVY,  Staff,  Representative Jason  Grenn,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  recapped  the proposed  bill,  and  stated that  it                                                               
would streamline  an existing process  through the U.S.  Food and                                                               
Drug  Administration,   the  Compassionate  Use   Program,  which                                                               
allowed  for   those  diagnosed  as  terminally   ill  to  access                                                               
investigational  medications outside  the clinical  trial process                                                               
in an  effort to save their  own lives.  The  proposed bill would                                                               
allow terminally ill patients to  work directly with their doctor                                                               
and  the drug  manufacturer,  given informed  consent, to  access                                                               
those treatments.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:37:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  opened public testimony  on HB 43.   There being                                                               
no one to testify, she closed public testimony.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:37:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EDGMON moved  to report  HB 43  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:38:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTAIVE  EASTMAN objected.   He  stated there  was "a  very                                                               
wide gap between the purposes for  which a drug is tested and the                                                               
actual uses that  we are now giving physicians  immunity for, and                                                               
that's concerning to me."                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:38:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll  call vote  was taken.   Representatives  Spohnholz, Tarr,                                                               
Sullivan-Leonard, Johnston,  Eastman, Edgmon,  and Kito  voted in                                                               
favor of HB 43.   Therefore, HB 43 was reported  out of the House                                                               
Health  and Social  Services Standing  Committee by  a vote  of 7                                                               
yeas - 0 nays.