West Virginia Code § 16-51-3

Definitions
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For the purposes of this article:
(1) "Eligible patient" means a person who has:
(A) A terminal illness attested to by the patient's treating physician;
(B) Considered all other treatment options currently approved by the United States Food and
Drug Administration;
(C) Been unable to participate in a clinical trial for the terminal illness within one hundred
miles of the patient's home address for the terminal illness, or not been accepted to the
clinical trial within one week of completion of the clinical trial application process;
(D) Received a recommendation from his or her physician for an investigational drug,
biological product or device;
(E) Given written, informed consent for the use of the investigational drug, biological
product or device or, if the patient is a minor or lacks the mental capacity to provide
informed consent, a parent or legal guardian has given written, informed consent on the
patient's behalf; and
(F) Documentation from his ore her physician that he or she meets the requirements of this
subdivision.
(2) "Eligible patient" does not include a person being treated as an inpatient in a hospital
licensed or certified pursuant to article five-b, chapter sixteen of this code.
(3) "Investigational drug, biological product or device" means a drug, biological product or
device that has successfully completed phase one of a clinical trial but has not yet been
appWroved for general use by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(4) "Terminal illness" means a disease that, without life-sustaining procedures, will soon
result in death or a state of permanent unconsciousness from which recovery is unlikely.
(5) "Written, informed consent" means a written document signed by the patient and
attested to by the patient's physician and a witness that, at a minimum:
(A) Explains the currently approved products and treatments for the disease or condition
from which the patient suffers;
(B) Attests to the fact that the patient concurs with his or her physician in believing that all
currently approved and conventionally recognized treatments are unlikely to prolong the
patient's life;
(C) Clearly identifies the specific proposed investigational drug, biological product or device
that the patient is seeking to use;
(D) Describes the potentially best and worst outcomes of using the investigational drug,
biological product or device with a realistic description of the most likely outcome, including
the possibility that new, unanticipated, different or worse symptoms might result and that
death could be hastened by the proposed treatment based on the physician'es knowledge of
the proposed treatment in conjunction with an awareness of the patient's condition;
(E) Makes clear that the patient's health insurer and provider may not be obligated to pay
for any care or treatments consequent to the use of the investigautional drug, biological
product or device;
(F) Makes clear that the patient's eligibility for hospice care may be withdrawn if the patient
begins curative treatment and care may be reinstated aif the curative treatment ends and the
patient meets hospice eligibility requirements;
(G) Makes clear that in-home health care mays be denied if treatment begins; and
(H) States that the patient understands thait he or she may be liable for all expenses
consequent to the use of the investigational drug, biological product or device, and that this
liability extends to the patient's estate, unless a contract between the patient and the
manufacturer of the drug, biological product or device states otherwise.

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