On the recordDecember 10, 2019
Madam President, the Senate is about to vote on the Over- the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act of 2019. I want to thank my friend and colleague Senator Isakson for his good work on this for many years, Chairman Alexander, and Ranking Member Patty Murray. The current OTC monograph system is broken, and what we are talking about, in simple form, is literally what is on your pill bottle, that kind of information. It is a broken system. The FDA doesn't have the authority to move swiftly when there is a threat to public health; it doesn't have the opportunity to update existing monographs; and there is no incentive for innovation. This legislation is decades overdue. I am grateful for the good work of so many who made it possible. It is a commonsense bill, consumer group supported, industry stakeholder supported, and of course the FDA not only supports it but needs it. I will now yield to my friend and colleague, Senator Johnny Isakson.
