Recently, New York State joined other states and the District of Columbia to form a joint nonprofit group to manage their prescription plans with the simple goal to cut drug costs. According to the January 14 New York Times story, states hope to hold down spending on prescription drugs for millions of state employees and Medicaid beneficiaries by maximizing the drug benefits they can provide in light of state budget problems. The new group will then form their own drug benefit program in order to keep rebates received from drug makers when the state's employees and beneficiaries use the drug companies' lists of prescription drugs.

The organization would then compete with private pharmacy benefit managers with their own list of preferred drugs at discounted prices.

All indications point to the fact that New York has the most to gain by holding down prescription drug spending. I am interested in hearing Attorney General Spitzer's opinion so it will be ensured New Yorkers receive the full benefit of drug discounts already negotiated with the pharmaceutical companies.

Competition is often the impetus for change. I hope the new nonprofit group New York State has joined will lead to better pricing from other pharmacy drug benefit managers.

There is another way to cut prescription drug costs and to do it nationwide: We need to ensure generic drugs come to the market quicker. As a nurse, I know generic drugs offer a viable and safe alternative to name-brand drugs but cost much less. For that reason, I will be reintroducing my legislation, The Pharmaceutical Fiscal Accountability Act. My bill seeks to increase competition and lower costs by removing barriers that may prevent many generic drugs from coming to the market quicker.

Here's the problem. Right now large drug companies can delay the generic version of a drug through a variety of ways. One delay tactic pays a generic drug company not to market the generic version of the drug.

While the first generic drug manufacturer who gets a drug application approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is rewarded with a 180-day exclusivity period on that drug, there is nothing that requires a generic drug manufacturer to actually begin marketing it.

The clock doesn't begin ticking on the 180 days until the company actually begins marketing the drug. Furthermore, no other generic drug manufacturer can bring out a generic version of that drug until the original generic applicant's 180-days has expired. So if the first applicant does not market the drug, it could be kept off the market indefinitely.

Under my proposal the clock for the exclusivity period would begin the day the FDA approves an application, giving a generic drug company 60 days to begin marketing. By removing this barrier, market competition can be increased and the high cost of prescription drugs can be lowered.

Congress needs to help the states. New York has made a good first step to bringing down costs. By bringing generic drugs to the market timely, we will all have a safe alternative to higher-priced drugs at reasonable prices.

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4) today invited local students, ages 8-12, to enter the 2003 Arts Olympiad organized every four years by the International Child Art Foundation (ICAF).

"This art competition is a fantastic opportunity for local students," McCarthy said. "It encourages them to think about what role they will play in the coming years, and it allows them to communicate their hopes and dreams through art."

The Arts Olympiad starts with worldwide art competitions and culminates in the world's largest international children's celebration in Washington, DC: the 2003 International ChildArt Festival. The festival constitutes a historic assembly of some of the most creative children on the planet. It promises to lay the foundation for a future world leadership that is both creative and cooperative. More than one million children in 86 countries participated in ICAF's previous Arts Olympiad, and teams from 50 countries participated in ICAF's 1999 international celebration, which attracted over 125,000 attendees.

The theme for the 2003 Arts Olympiad is "Me in the New Millennium," which encourages children to think of their role in the future. Participation is free, but each school can submit just one entry. After all participating students have completed their artwork, the school must select one piece to submit to an international panel of judges. Teachers should try to involve their students in the selection process as much as possible. After choosing the representative piece of artwork, the school should mail it, along with the ICAF Artwork Submission Form, to International Child Art Foundation, 1350 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

In April 2003, ICAF will organize independent panels of art educators and artists to select the winners from each US State and Territory. They, along with the winners from nearly 100 countries, their teachers and parents, will be the official delegates to the festival in September 2003.

"I encourage every school's participation in this event!" McCarthy said. "It promises to be an amazing experience for everyone involved."

Arts Olympiad Rules-Deadline March 31, 2003

Age: 8 to 12 years old

Entries: Paintings or drawings in any two-dimensional medium

Size: Approximately 18" x 24"

Theme: Me in the New Millennium