William Pryor: “as I have only a few moments, let me point out that the Hatch substitute was born out of a proposal by PhRMA. PhRMA is…”

“as I have only a few moments, let me point out that the Hatch substitute was born out of a proposal by PhRMA. PhRMA is the group that represents the major brandname drug companies. Every element, according to a memo of April 30, 1996, of a draft PhRMA proposal which, as they wrote to their members, ``benefits members of PhRMA'' wound up in the so-called Hatch substitute. That, Mr. President, is what they are interested in. They are not interested in benefiting the consumer, they are interested in benefiting their own-- regardless of what happens to consumers and taxpayers. This is why we should really call this proposal the PhRMA-Glaxo substitute. I hate to call it the Hatch substitute because I have such respect for my friend from Utah. Certainly he would not want to have his name associated with what he knows is an enormous boon to special interests. Finally, the Hatch substitute has become a Christmas tree, literally a Christmas tree, of patent extensions and special favors for a variety of drug companies like Wyeth-Ayerst, Merck and Zeneca. Once again, I will quote our friend, Paul Simon from Illinois. Senator Simon, who we will miss greatly in this body, said: ``This is a classic case of the public interest versus the special interest.'' Mr. President, that is precisely what this vote we are about to take is all about. I yield the floor.”