[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 62 (Wednesday, May 18, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 18, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             DON'T KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGGS

                                 ______


                          HON. CHRISTOPHER COX

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 17, 1994

  Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, recently, one of my constituents, Mr. Earl 
Griffith of Laguna Hills, sent me a letter he had written about the 
serious impact of Hillary Rodham Clinton's plan to place price controls 
on pharmaceuticals. Because his letter aptly illustrates the important 
role that pharmaceuticals play in helping Americans to live longer and 
healthier lives, I set it forth for the Record.


                                             Laguna Hills, CA,

                                                February 28, 1994.
       Dear Representative Cox, President Clinton's position on 
     drug price controls greatly concerns me, since I consider the 
     drug companies the provider of the ``Goose That Lays the 
     Golden Eggs.''
       May I suggest you look carefully at the statistics on the 
     Elderly? We (I am 75) are living longer because of the 
     research and development of new drugs. When my father was my 
     age, he had been dead for 10 years.
       As soon as price controls are applied to drugs, the 
     research and development departments of the drug companies 
     will dry up, since they will be without funds. Price controls 
     were tried during the Nixon administration and failed 
     miserably. I would like to think our people in Washington 
     would take a lesson from past experiences.
       I myself am a direct beneficiary of research and 
     development of new drugs. In 1981, I was diagnosed with an 
     aortic aneurysm. I was 63. After four and a half hours of 
     surgery, God's good grace, and the result of R&D of new 
     drugs, after three weeks' hospitalization I survived.
       In 1988, I had my gall bladder removed. Following surgery, 
     I was diagnosed with two areas of infection. With God's good 
     grace, and the result of R&D of new drugs, I survived.
       In 1989, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was 70. 
     Because of prior surgical scar tissue, my urologist elected 
     to use radiation rather than surgery. After 35 treatments of 
     radiation, the cancer was gone--the result of God's good 
     grace and R&D that developed modern radiation therapy.
       In 1992, I was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and 
     stomach. My surgeon spent six and a half hours with me and 
     removed all the cancerous tissue. With God's good grace, and 
     R&D of new drugs, I survived 11 days of hospitalization.
       Following my surgery, it was mandatory that I undergo 
     chemotherapy to remove any possible microorganisms of cancer. 
     After four months of chemotherapy, and with God's good grace 
     plus R&D that gave me effective new drugs, I survived.
       To apply price controls to drugs is like ``Killing the 
     Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs.'' Has it occurred to you, 
     that as people live longer, they are more productive and 
     continue to work and pay income taxes to Uncle Sam? I've 
     already benefited from the research and development of new 
     drugs, so I'm not worried for myself. I am worried for people 
     your age who have children and grand-children. We both know 
     there will be new diseases and new drugs will be needed. If 
     we don't have the drug companies to do the R&D, who will do 
     it? Our government? Whenever our government takes on a 
     project, it invariably costs twice as much as the private 
     sector. You know that and so do I.
       Every Congressman in Washington should think twice before 
     he or she makes a decision on drug price controls.
           Sincerely,
     Earl Griffith.

                          ____________________