[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 5 (Monday, January 31, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E30-E31]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BRIAN P. BILBRAY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 31, 2000

  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the 
designation of January as ``National Biotechnology Month.''
  Today, Americans are living longer and healthier lives, thanks in 
part to modern medicine. Death rates from heart disease, cancer, and 
stroke are going down, and hundreds of new medicines are being 
developed to combat diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and 
arthritis.
  Biotechnology not only creates new medicines and treatments, but it 
also improves the livelihood of individuals and our community at large. 
More than 212,000 Californians are employed due to biomedical research 
and development, earning an average salary of $64,000. They are 
developing products that generate more than $4.2 billion in exports. In 
San Diego, the University of California at San Diego, Scripps Research 
Institute, and the Salk Institute lend their expertise to and 
participate in a biotechnology cluster of over 27,000 jobs. In 
addition, San Diego County is privileged to have hundreds of small 
start-up biotech companies producing innovative and life-saving drugs, 
biologics and devices.
  Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to a CALBIO Summit meeting in which 
Congressman Burr and I participated this past fall, I followed up with 
many of the biotechnology companies that are members of BIOCOM, San 
Diego. What I learned from these technology leaders is that Congress 
must work to assist these companies and enable them to produce these 
life-saving drugs and devices, while not hindering their growth and 
innovation.
  For example, every company that I met with expressed their 
frustration with the lack of stability in securing reimbursement from 
the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). Not only do these 
companies have to work their way through the FDA approval process, but 
after they toil for years and finally receive FDA approval, they then 
have to begin an often arduous fight with HCFA to receive adequate 
reimbursement for their products. Mr. Speaker, I have had companies in 
my district dissolve because they have lost the battle with HCFA, after 
receiving approval for their products from the FDA. We must address 
this serious issue and develop a solution to ensure that these 
companies do not become financially insolvent as a result of 
bureaucratic delay.
  While this is a serious problem faced by the biotech industry, we 
must also praise their hard work and innovation, which improves all of 
our lives and the community at large. I commend the biotechnology 
industry and the

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many companies in California and San Diego that are producing 
innovative and life-saving drugs and devices. I urge my colleagues to 
lend their support and appreciation to this crucial and resourceful 
industry.

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