Fresh hope for Charlie Gard as US hospital offers to ship experimental drug to UK

A US hospital has offered to ship an experimental drug to the UK to help treat critically ill Charlie Gard.

The New York hospital also offered to admit the 11-month-old if legal hurdles could be cleared.

The hospital’s statement on Thursday is the latest intervention after offers of help came from the US president, Donald Trump, and Pope Francis.

Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, are at the centre of a lengthy legal battle with doctors at Great Ormond Street hospital (Gosh) in London, who say the treatment would not help the boy.

The US hospital said it would treat Charlie with an experimental drug pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a government regulator.

It said it had “agreed to admit and evaluate Charlie, provided that arrangements are made to safely transfer him to our facility, legal hurdles are cleared, and we receive emergency approval from the FDA for an experimental treatment as appropriate”.

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It added: “Alternatively, if approved by the FDA, we will arrange shipment of the experimental drug to Great Ormond Street hospital and advise their medical staff on administering it if they are willing to do so.”

Charlie has a rare genetic condition affecting his mitochondria and doctors argued life support should be switched off because there was no chance of his condition improving.

A US specialist told judges a small chance of a meaningful improvement in Charlie’s brain function would be provided by therapy.

The high court, court of appeal and supreme court all ruled in favour of Gosh doctors.

Charlie’s parents, from Bedfont in west London, have been spending the last days of his life with him.