WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has signed legislation that would help people with deadly diseases try experimental treatments.

Trump signed the Right to Try bill on Wednesday. He called it a "fundamental freedom" that will provide hope and save lives.

The bill cleared the House last week following an emotional debate in which Republicans said it would help thousands of people in search of hope. Many Democrats said the measure was dangerous and would give patients false hope.

Trump embraced the plan during his State of the Union address, saying people who are terminally ill shouldn't have to leave the country to seek cures.

The measure gives people diagnosed with life-threatening conditions who have exhausted treatment options access to unproven drugs without needing permission from the Food and Drug Administration.

AP