Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I am proud to be here to advocate on behalf of a bill that has enjoyed, rightly, bipartisan support: the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act.

We all know that the astronomically rising costs of prescription drugs are a burden--in fact a bane for Americans regardless of where they live, regardless of their party, race, religion, or age, but particularly for our seniors. The choice between paying the mortgage, putting food on the table, and buying prescription drugs has become a daily challenge for people across the country.

This bill offers a positive, solid step toward ending abuses in the use of patents--abuses that are called patent thicketing and product hopping--that all too commonly raise the cost of prescription drugs and preclude access for the people who need those drugs the most.

This effort has been a bipartisan one involving many of us in this Chamber. It passed from the Judiciary Committee unanimously. It is a testament to the still-possible bipartisan cooperation on an issue of paramount concern to the people of America that we have reached this point of bringing it to the floor of the Senate.

I am proud to have worked on this measure with my colleague from Texas who has really helped to lead this effort, Senator Cornyn, who is here on the floor with me, and I am happy to yield to him now.

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