Gus Bilirakis: “I would like to support this amendment because of the intent behind the amendment. The gentleman from California (Mr.…”

“I would like to support this amendment because of the intent behind the amendment. The gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) and others, including the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson), are correct in terms of problems, or at least perceived problems insofar as FDA approving generics or enlisting the patents of generics, but we are talking here about reallocating needed funds. Just a few days ago, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) offered an amendment to increase the funds for FDA use towards approval of generic drugs by $2.5 million. I supported that amendment. It passed this House, if I remember correctly. Now, the point is, we are now in effect saying we are going to take $1 million out of that $2.5 million, or at least out of the amount that FDA ordinarily would use, towards approval of generic drugs and put it into something like this. Now, I am quoting, ``which will help FDA do their job; delaying tactics, things of that nature.'' If, in fact, there are delaying tactics; if, in fact, the FDA is not doing its job, there are things that we can do. I do not think that throwing $1 million the FDA's way will encourage them to do the job that they are required to do. That is just not the answer to it at all. The Brown amendment does not serve a legitimate purpose. It purports to provide the FDA's Office of Generic Drugs, as we have already said, with $1 million to ensure that patents are not inappropriately listed.”