James M. Jeffords: “I want to thank Chairman Jeffords and my colleagues for including in this bill a revised version of the Better…”

“I want to thank Chairman Jeffords and my colleagues for including in this bill a revised version of the Better Pharmaceutical for Children Act (S. 713). Senator Dodd and I introduced this bill earlier this year because an overwhelming majority of pharmaceuticals currently on the market have not been tested for safety or effectiveness in children. In fact, Mr. President, a shocking 80 percent of the drugs that are on the market today have never been tested for children. We need to provide our young people with prescription drugs that have been studied for their effects on children's bodies and appropriately labeled with doses suitable for young ages.”