Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, the assertion that the amendment will lead to slowing new discoveries and discourage more pharmaceutical innovation has to be answered. The argument is basically, I believe, a defense of high profits. Developing countries are so poor, however, that no pharmaceutical company can logically depend on profits earned in Africa to fund research. It has been also mentioned that the WTO agreement on trade aspects of intellectual property already contains a humanitarian exception for health and other emergencies, so therefore, this amendment would not be needed. However, the United States brought a WTO case against Brazil, nonetheless. The TRIPS agreement was agreed to by the U.S. in 1995, while the U.S. case against Brazil was launched in June, 2000. Clearly, the exception is not enough, and congressional action is needed. I know the gentleman from Virginia is a caring person, and we are all caring people here.”