William Pryor: “I would like to take, Mr. President, in opening, a few moments to discuss our particular concerns over this uncorrected…”

“I would like to take, Mr. President, in opening, a few moments to discuss our particular concerns over this uncorrected error in our laws which has led to unnecessarily high drug prices. I would like to quote from my good colleague who is departing the Senate and is a great friend, Senator Paul Simon of Illinois. Senator Simon recently spoke on the issue of correcting this problem in the GATT treaty. I quote from Senator Simon when he said, ``This is a classic example of special interests versus the public interest.'' Mr. President, that is what this debate, I am afraid, has boiled down to. I know my friend from Colorado, Senator Brown, in his eloquent statement has placed into the Record a recent editorial of December 4, 1995 from the Washington Post. I will read a paragraph from that editorial: All for lack of a technical conforming clause in a trade bill, full patent protection for a drug called Zantac will run 19 months beyond its original expiration date. Zantac, used to treat ulcers, is the world's most widely prescribed drug, and its sales in this country run to more than $2 billion a year.…”