[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 97 (Thursday, July 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ``INVENTORS OF THE YEAR''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 1997

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, our Nation's efforts against AIDS have taken 
a major step forward with the development of a new class of 
antiretroviral drugs known as protease inhibitors. One of the corporate 
leaders in this field is Abbott Laboratories, which is headquartered in 
my district.
  Recently, some of the scientists at Abbott responsible for this 
pharmacological breakthrough were named ``Inventors of the Year'' by 
the Intellectual Property Law Association, and the National 
Intellectual Property Owners Association. They are Dale J. Kempf, 
Ph.D., Daniel W. Norbeck, Ph.D., Hing L. Sham, Ph.D., and Chen Zhao, 
Ph.D. I join with these organizations in strongly commending their 
efforts.
  The Abbott protease inhibitor, NORVIR, was approved by the Food and 
Drug Administration in March 1996 in one of the fastest pharmaceutical 
approvals ever issued by that agency. This drug, like other protease 
inhibitors, prevents the human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] protease 
enzyme from carrying out its essential tasks during viral maturation 
and reproduction. For this reason, protease inhibitors have been found 
to provide significant anti-viral activity when used with other anti-
HIV drugs in combinations known as cocktails.
  Since their introduction, numerous studies have demonstrated that 
protease inhibitors, in combination with other drugs, were able to 
reduce the level of circulating HIV to less than currently detectable 
concentrations in some patients. There is also hope that the emergence 
of drug resistant HIV strains will be more hindered with protease 
inhibitor treatment as compared to the level of inhibition known to 
occur with older drugs. Both the scientific and popular press have 
hailed the development of protease inhibitors as one of the most 
important scientific breakthroughs of the decade.
  Mr. Speaker, it is in this context that I rise to recognize these 
national heroes for their very significant contributions to our 
Nation's war against the disease known as AIDS.

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