Dianne Feinstein: “in May I stood on this floor and castigated the pharmaceutical industry for going behind the scenes and killing an…”

“in May I stood on this floor and castigated the pharmaceutical industry for going behind the scenes and killing an amendment that Senator Feingold and I had introduced, and which was part of the African trade bill. They killed this amendment in conference. This amendment essentially would have allowed countries in the midst of a national HIV/AIDS emergency to use the cheapest possible drugs to fight that national health emergency by allowing the country to distribute the drugs through "parallel importing" and "compulsory licensing." Fortunately, the President put forward an Executive order to carry out the intent of our amendment. Since that time, some substantial things have happened. Because I was so critical of the industry I feel it is only fitting that I always come to the floor and acknowledge those that have responded to the crisis. When Senator Feingold and I began this fight last fall, 6 months after the World Health Organization declared HIV/AIDS the most deadly infectious disease in the world, very few people were aware at the time of the scope of the devastation as a result of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, things have changed. Virtually not a day goes by without the media running a story about the HIV/AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa.”