Sick Josh Hardy, 7, to Get Experimental Drug

Josh Hardy, the 7-year-old boy fighting a rare bacterial infection, will get the experimental drug that could heal him after drug company Chimerix had refused for days to grant him access to the medicine.

A four-time cancer survivor, Josh became sick after a bone marrow transplant and is currently in intensive care at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. His doctors had requested access to brincidofovir, a drug not yet approved by the FDA. But executives at Chimerix said they were refusing any and all requests for the drugs use to focus on getting FDA approval.

Local pledges of support quickly grew into a national campaign, with petitions and a social media hashtag, #saveJosh, along with features on CNN, Fox News and other media outlets.

The company has promised to send the drug to the hospital within 48 hours, according to USA Today, and will place Josh at the front of a brand new clinical trial.

In its statement, the hospital expressed some caution, according to USA Today: "This drug is experimental and has not yet been approved by the FDA and the safety and effectiveness of the medication has not yet been established for use in children. ... It is also important to understand that this remains a critical and complex medical situation."