Rhode Island House Committee Passes Right to Try Act to Reject Some FDA Restrictions on Terminal Patients PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Feb. 17, 2021) – Last week, a Rhode Island House committee passed a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to bypass some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules that deny access to experimental treatments. Rep. Joseph McNamara (D-Warwick) introduced House Bill 5077 (H5077) on Jan. 22. Titled the “Neil Fachon Terminally Ill Patients’ Right To Try Act of 2021,” the legislation would create a state process to give terminally ill patients access to medicines not yet given final approval for use by the FDA. On Feb. 9, the House Health & Human Services Committee recommended H5077 for passage.