Health Care

Prescription drug marketers are inundating doctors, and to a lesser extent, the public, with marketing that misrepresents risks, promotes unproven uses, and makes unsubstantiated claims. The false and misleading messages are communicated through conventional advertising, sales representatives, doctors speaking on behalf of drug marketers, and through clinical trial suppression, manipulation and misrepresentation. Sadly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is ineffective at addressing the problems. This report takes a comprehensive look at all of these facets of the prescription drug marketing problem and suggests effective solutions.

In late summer of 2004, the PIRGs conducted a survey of more than 400 pharmacies in 19 states across the country and Washington, DC to determine how much uninsured consumers are paying for 12 prescription drugs commonly used by adults under age 65. We then compared these prices with the prices the pharmaceutical companies charge one of their “most favored” customers, the federal government, and also with the prices paid by consumers in Canada.

In the spring of 2003, the National Association of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) conducted a survey of more than 500 pharmacies in 18 states across the country and Washington, D.C. to determine how much uninsured consumers are paying for 10 common prescription drugs. We then compared these prices with the prices the pharmaceutical companies charge one of their “most favored” customers, the federal government.