[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13060]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

  (Mr. CALVERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, as cochairman of the Generic Drug Equity 
Caucus, I would like to talk about generic drugs and how they make 
prescription drugs more affordable.
  Currently, generics fill over 40 percent of all prescriptions in the 
United States and are extremely affordable, at only 10 to 15 cents per 
dollar spent on brand names. The Congressional Budget Office reported 
in 1994 that generic drug competition results in a cost savings to 
consumers of $8 to $10 billion annually, while meeting the FDA's 
requirement on bioequivalence, meaning that generics have the exact 
same effect on the human body as brand names.
  Too many of the brand name companies seek to extend their patents, 
thereby restricting prompt market access by generics and raising drug 
costs. Americans have a right to be concerned about the high cost of 
prescription drugs. The solution could be as simple as encouraging the 
use of generic substitutes and providing co-pay differentials between 
brand name and generic drugs, and preventing abusive marketing and 
regulatory practices.

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