[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H4676-H4677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PRESCRIPTION DRUG FAIRNESS ACT

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, many Democrats in the House of 
Representatives are working together to lower the cost of prescription 
drugs. We are asking this Congress to pass the Prescription Drug 
Fairness Act.
  Unfortunately, the drug companies and my friends on the other side of 
the aisle do not seem much interested in letting this pass.

                              {time}  1415

  The drug companies will give lower prices to HMOs, they will give 
lower drug prices to hospitals, they will give lower drug prices to 
insurance companies and to the VA, but they charge senior citizens out 
of pocket literally twice as much in many cases for prescription drugs 
than they do these preferred buyers.
  The prescription drug companies are banding together to oppose the 
Prescription Drug Fairness Act on the House floor. They say that this 
legislation will stifle innovation and hurt research. They say it will 
cost them so much money they will not be able to continue to develop 
new drugs. They do not say anything, Mr. Speaker, about huge executive 
drug companies' salaries. They do not say anything about record $22 
billion drug company profits.

[[Page H4677]]

 They do not say anything about marketing, about salespeople and about 
the multimillion-dollar lobbying company campaign they are foisting 
upon us.

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