[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PHARMACEUTICAL MARKET ACCESS ACT OF 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, it is a disheartening reality in our 
country that the current administration refuses, so adamantly, to give 
seniors a real opportunity to obtain prescription drugs at a reasonable 
cost.
  In times like these, when the economy is uncertain and prescription 
drug prices are soaring, it is essential to be creative in finding an 
affordable and effective way for Americans to obtain the drugs they so 
desperately deserve. H.R. 2427 gives our seniors, and other consumers, 
a tool they need to purchase lifesaving drugs.
  How many seniors are currently disabled by an illness that they 
cannot afford to treat with the drugs that their European counterparts 
can purchase for between 30 and 300 percent less? There are too many, 
and Congress cannot stand by and watch them suffer.
  I know that my constituents in the Fourteenth District are suffering 
as a result of this government's inability to take meaningful action. A 
year ago, I co-released a report, detailing the outrageous prices 
seniors face when purchasing prescription drugs. For Prilosec, an ulcer 
and heartburn medication, a senior citizen in New York will pay on 
average $144.60 per month. The same drug in Canada costs $53.17. That 
is a 172% difference.
  Zocor, which is one of the most common cholesterol-reducing drugs in 
the country, costs almost three times as much in New York City as it 
does in Canada. These are just two examples of the outrages our 
citizens face every day.
  The Gutknecht bill will greatly reduce the cost of prescription 
drugs, and it will also ensure that imported medications will be safe 
for all seniors. H.R. 2427 mandates the use of greater technology to 
prevent the importation of counterfeit drugs, and it requires each 
shipment of drugs to be tested appropriately.
  Twenty-two percent of Americans who are prescribed medication are 
unable to fill their prescriptions. This is an unacceptable statistic, 
one that my colleague's bill would take great strides to ameliorate.
  America's seniors and consumers are afflicted by a disease: the 
absurd overpricing of prescription drugs. The fight against this 
epidemic must begin today. Vote ``yes'' on the Gutknecht bill, and 
let's give Americans a fighting chance.

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