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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 287 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 287

   Honoring the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Drug Price 
 Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (the Hatch-Waxman 
                                 Act).

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 24, 2009

Mr. Brown submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Honoring the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Drug Price 
 Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (the Hatch-Waxman 
                                 Act).

Whereas, on September 24, 1984, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term 
        Restoration Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-417; 98 Stat. 1585), commonly 
        known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, was signed into law by President Ronald 
        Reagan, at which time President Reagan indicated that generic drugs 
        might save American consumers $1,000,000,000 over the next 10 years;
Whereas this landmark law created the regulatory mechanism under which the Food 
        and Drug Administration approves safe and affordable generic drugs;
Whereas each year for the past quarter century, the generic pharmaceutical 
        industry has delivered billions of dollars in savings on the purchase of 
        prescription drugs, far exceeding the original estimate;
Whereas a May 2009 report showed that during the preceding 10-year period, the 
        use of generic drugs has saved the American health care system more than 
        $734,000,000,000, with the most-recent annual average exceeding 
        $121,000,000,000;
Whereas generic drugs accounted for more than 72 percent of all prescription 
        drugs dispensed, yet accounted for only 17 percent of the spending on 
        all prescription drugs, a differential that reflects the dramatically 
        lower prices paid for generic drugs, which not only reduces consumer and 
        taxpayer spending but also increases patient access to needed medicines; 
        and
Whereas while the Hatch-Waxman Act does not have an explicit pathway for 
        approval by the Food and Drug Administration of lower-priced versions of 
        cutting-edge biologic medicines, which account for a rapidly growing 
        portion of prescription medicine spending, the Act does provide a solid 
        framework for such a pathway: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of Senate that--
            (1) enactment of the Hatch-Waxman Act (Public Law 98-417; 
        98 Stat. 1585) in 1984 served to create the modern generic 
        pharmaceutical industry, which has provided consumers with 
        access to affordable drugs, yielding significant health and 
        economic benefits for the Nation's health care system;
            (2) Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Henry Waxman 
        deserve the Nation's gratitude for authoring and championing 
        this landmark bipartisan legislation; and
            (3) Congress should build on the work of these dedicated 
        policymakers and enact legislation to create a pathway for 
        approval by the Food and Drug Administration of safe and 
        affordable generic versions of biologic medicines.
                                 <all>
```