[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 192 (Tuesday, December 5, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S18034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                             GLAXO WELLCOME

 Mr. FAIRCLOTH. Mr. President, I want to applaud a dramatic new 
commitment by Glaxo Wellcome, a North Carolina-based pioneer 
pharmaceutical research company whose contributions to medicine and 
biotechnology have helped to make the American health care industry the 
most innovative and productive in the world.
  Glaxo Wellcome has just received approval from the Food and Drug 
Administration for its latest drug, Epivir, an aggressive new treatment 
for AIDS. Epivir received FDA approval in less than 5 months, but the 
advent of this new treatment is the result of years of hard work and 
millions of dollars invested by Glaxo Wellcome.
  The firm also announced that it has set itself the goal of bringing 
an unprecedented three new medicines to market each year by the 
beginning of the next century. This is an enormous endeavor. It will 
require threefold increase in Glaxo Wellcome's research and development 
productivity.
  The merger of Glaxo and Burroughs Wellcome produced an enormous 
portfolio of research and development projects. The ensure the most 
efficient integration of the two firms, the entire portfolio was 
reviewed according to rigorous standards. The resulting R&D portfolio 
now includes 50 major research projects and 93 development projects. 
These projects run the gamut from cardiovascular disease and cancer to 
the neurosciences. Significant resources are being committed to 
projects involving the respiratory system: anti-viral infection: the 
central nervous system and other areas. Together, Glaxo Wellcome's 
total R&D spending for 1996 will exceed $1.9 billion.
  That's good news for the millions of Americans who suffer from life 
threatening diseases for which there is currently no known treatment. 
Good news also for their families, their employers, and their 
neighbors. This massive investment in the future of American health 
care is good news for all of us.
  Pioneering the next ``miracle drug'' is not easy. It costs, on 
average, 12 years and $350 million to develop just one new 
pharmaceutical. Only one in 5,000 compounds tested in a laboratory ever 
finds its way onto pharmacy shelves. And only a third of those ever 
earns full return on the vast investment of time, money, and thought 
made to discover it.
  Because of the costly pioneering research of pharmaceutical companies 
like Glaxo Wellcome, American consumers have access to the next 
generation of pharmaceuticals and state-of-the-art medical treatments. 
Taxpayers also benefit because of the savings to be realized in future 
health care costs. Pioneers like Glaxo Wellcome hold our best hope for 
the discovery of breakthrough medicines in the future. I salute Glaxo 
Wellcome for deepening its commitment to the future of American 
medicine.

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