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         Coalition Formed to Urge Revision of FDA Ruling

                     http://policy.net/gdec

Consumer, senior citizen and healthcare groups and pharmaceutical firms  
have joined together as the Generic Drug Equity Coalition to urge 
consumers to take action to ensure access to low-cost generic drugs.  The 
groups include Public Citizen, U.S. PIRG, the National Council on Aging, 
National Women�s Health Network and pharmaceutical industry companies 
such as Novopharm, Mylan and Geneva Pharmaceuticals and many others.  

Generic versions of some of this country�s most widely prescribed 
medicines will be kept off of the market due to a Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) interpretation of a General Agreement on Trade and 
Tariffs (GATT) Treaty provision which extends brand name drug patents.  
Generic forms of popular drugs will not be certified until the 
GATT-extended patents on the brand name versions expire.  The FDA�s 
decision will cost American consumers billions of dollars.

The Generic Drug Equity Coalition is urging Congress to pass legislation 
to require the FDA to use pre-GATT patent expiration dates to determine 
when generic drugs can be certified for marketing and available to 
consumers.

Consumers, healthcare professionals and others can learn more about this 
issue at the Generic Drug Equity Coalition�s WWW Home Page; the Internet 
address is http://policy.net/gdec.  If, after reviewing this material, 
concerned individuals agree that Congress should act to give consumers 
access to low-cost generic versions of such drugs as Zantac and Capozide, 
they can use an interactive support form to contact their Senators and 
Representative that will automatically forward an e-mail message.  For 
those who prefer to send their own submission, a sample e-mail letter is 
provided for consideration.The Coalition may also be reached by e-mail at 
gdec@policy.net, or by phone at (202) 842-1656.

Please take a few minutes to review this issue and contact your Senators 
and Representative.  Billions of consumer dollars are at stake.  Thanks 
for your support.

Charles Bain
Generic Drug Equity Coalition
WWW:	http://policy.net/gdec
E-mail:	gdec@policy.net