Yes. In both law and ethics, exceptions to general rules can be made in emergency situations. In this regard, not only does the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have rules that provide for individual patients to obtain “expanded access” to investigational drugs outside of a clinical trial, the FDA also has an “emergency” procedure which permits physicians to apply to use such drugs for patients with “a serious or immediately life-threatening disease” for which there is no satisfactory alternative. Under these circumstances, the FDA can—and did, in this instance—act quickly. Of course, there are legal and ethical rules that do NOT change in emergencies. The drug must be expected to provide benefit and not cause harm, and the patient must give his or her informed consent, which would include having an appreciation of the risks and how little is known about the drug