Orrin Hatch: “It is clear that we are all going to have to work harder--both the government and the private sector--in making AIDS…”

“It is clear that we are all going to have to work harder--both the government and the private sector--in making AIDS medications available to those who need them. It is one of the modern paradoxes that the new AIDS drugs can defer an HIV infected individual's progression to disability. Yet, it may only be that the individual can get financial assistance when disabled, a situation we would clearly like to prevent. I am aware of a Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America study which indicated that, as of December 1, there were 122 medicines in testing for AIDS. The cost, which the Senator alluded to, is astounding. One company spent more than $1 billion over a 10-year period to develop a protease inhibitor. American technological gains are nothing short than miraculous, but we all have to recognize they are expensive as well. I am heartened by the Senator's remarks about funding for the State ADAP programs.”