[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 80 (Thursday, May 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H3281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION REFORM ACT

  (Mr. CARNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Food and Drug 
Administration Reform Act and, in particular, the provisions it 
contains to address critical drug shortages. Across the country, 
patients are not getting critical medications they need to battle 
diseases and stay healthy. This crisis is hitting cancer patients 
especially hard, with serious shortages of chemotherapy drugs.
  In response to this crisis, I introduced the Drug Shortage Prevention 
Act with my colleague, Representative Larry Bucshon. I'm pleased that 
key provisions of this bill are included in the legislation that the 
House passed last night. These provisions help FDA and the DEA fix some 
of the regulatory problems that are causing these shortages.
  This is not a partisan issue. Drug shortages affect all of us. I'm 
pleased that the Senate passed its own version of this legislation last 
week, and I'm hopeful that both Chambers can quickly come together to 
present a final package for the President's signature.
  When a family gets hit with a diagnosis like cancer, they have enough 
things to worry about. Running out of chemotherapy drugs should not be 
one of them.

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