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‘Quincy, M.E.’ Turns 50: Jack Klugman Took the Show’s Cause All the Way to Congress
‘Quincy, M.E.’ star Jack Klugman testified before Congress, supporting ‘orphan drugs’ and rare disease patients, helping push through the Orphan Drug Act.
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Fifty years ago, a groundbreaking television series premiered on NBC. Quincy, M.E. starred beloved actor Jack Klugman and ran for eight seasons. Fans already loved Klugman from his time on The Odd Couple, where he played Oscar Madison. In his new role, Klugman played a Los Angeles County medical examiner who sought answers in suspicious deaths.
The series was a pioneer in the concept of forensic crime shows, and it was unusual for that era in that it generally had each episode focus on a single case that was resolved by the end of the show. Click Americana added that Quincy, M.E. was also unusual for its time, as it didn’t shy away from social issues.
Toward the end of the show’s run in 1983, Klugman personally took the passion for social issues often featured on the series into the real world. In March 1981, Klugman testified in front of Congress in an effort to advocate for those living with rare diseases, UPI reported.
The Quincy, M.E. star’s focus was on “orphan drugs,” which are medications not widely available to patients due to regulatory or profit issues. At the time that Klugman testified, UPI noted, a lack of support and declining budgets made access to orphan drugs even more difficult.
Klugman testified, “We are not talking about orphan drugs. We’re talking about orphan people.”
As he testified, Klugman had then-19 Adam Seligman sitting next to him. Seligman lived with Tourette syndrome, and his story was the catalyst for an episode of Quincy, M.E. That episode was what brought the issue of orphan drugs to Klugman’s attention.
The hearing came as the Orphan Drug Act was stalled in Congress, according to The Washington Post in 2012. Conditions including Tourette’s syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy were the types of serious medical issues where the numbers of those affected were not high enough to “entice pharmaceutical companies to develop treatments.”
As the media outlet noted, scientists could discover treatments that could significantly help people with such conditions, but drug makers weren’t interested in manufacturing them if they didn’t see a big potential for profit.
The episode of Quincy, M.E. that drew attention to the orphan drug issue was written by Maurice Klugman, the actor’s brother. He had a rare cancer that was also impacted by the orphan drug issue. Until the Klugmans brought attention to the problem, media had paid little attention to it.
The bill was designed to provide significant incentives to drug makers that were willing to develop these drugs. It had already passed the House at the time that Klugman testified, but it was stuck in the Senate.
The second episode of Quincy, M.E. about the orphan drug issue was written so it mirrored the real-life bill that was being held back. Producers included 500 extras in the episode who were impacted by the diseases and drugs at the center of the debate.
The strategy worked, and the Waxman-Hatch Orphan Drug Act was enacted in 1983. In 2024, the Milbank Memorial Fund noted that the legislation was considered “one of the most important and successful US laws to stimulate global life science innovation.”
The legislation made a notable difference, with hundreds of drugs for rare diseases approved by the FDA in the years after the bill passed. Unfortunately, the site added, there are still thousands of rare diseases that still have no FDA-approved treatment.
Klugman was beloved both on and off television screens for the impressive work he did for decades before his death at 90 in 2012.
