Montana Set to Become a “Wild West” Hub for Experimental Medical Treatments and Therapies

Montana enacted its right-to-try law in 2015, offering terminally ill patients access to experimental therapies that have not received FDA approval. A 2023 bill expanded Montana’s right-to-try law through removal of patient eligibility requirements for access, regardless of medical condition. The 2023 bill, however, did not provide any scheme for the registration and licensing of clinics to administer these treatments. Recently, Senate Bill 535, which passed both houses of the Montana Legislature with bipartisan support and was signed into law on May 12, 2025, expands Montana’s right-to-try law by widening access to experimental and unproven treatments via establishing means for healthcare providers to provide access to and administer experimental treatments to their patients who have given their informed consent.