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The U.S. pharmaceutical industry, in close collaboration with Republicans [5], has been working for years to jack up the price of prescription drugs [6], as Americans find themselves paying more for less health care [7] -- and there's no end in sight, with insurance executives predicting premium increases of 15 to 25 percent annually [8]. Currently drug companies are waging what the Associated Press describes as "a successful lobbying and public relations battle" [9] to fight legislation that would enable cheaper, generic drugs to enter the marketplace [10]. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the drug makers' lobby group, has been fighting the proposed legislation by trotting out celebrity spokespersons and running deceptive advertisements that show a sick child with the headline, "Pray for a Miracle, Because Generic Drugs Will Never Cure Him." (And if he can't afford non-generics, that means he'll just die, right?)
Links:
[1] http://dev.prwatch.org/users/13916/sheldon-rampton
[2] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/public-relations/issue-management
[3] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/health
[4] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdev.prwatch.org%2Fspin%2F2002%2F10%2F1458%2Fwhy-you-cant-afford-health-care&linkname=Why%20You%20Can%27t%20Afford%20Health%20Care
[5] http://bernie.house.gov/documents/articles/2001-07-21-nat_journal-Rx_Drugs.asp
[6] http://abcnews.go.com/onair/ABCNEWSSpecials/pharmaceuticals_020529_pjr_feature.html
[7] http://www.makingakilling.org/chapter4.html
[8] http://www.record-eagle.com/2002/oct/02health.htm
[9] http://www.msnbc.com/news/815751.asp
[10] http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3240359.html
[11] http://www.odwyerpr.com/1002phrma.htm