[FairWitness]

According to an Act UP web site (not likely biased for drug companies):
"Overall profits of Fortune 500 companies declined by 53% in 2001, while the top 10 US drug makers increased profits by 32% from $28bn (20bn; 31bn) to $37bn, according to Public Citizen's analysis of the Fortune 500 data. Together the 10 drug companies in the list had the greatest return on revenues, reporting a profit of 18.5 cents for every dollar of sales, eight times higher than the median for all Fortune 500 industries, which was 2.2 cents."

Think about that folks. Taking that at face value, if the drug companies lowered prices just 20% across the board they would presumably end up with no profits. How do you suppose Mexico and Canada get to charge so much less? Would you like our U.S. companies to charge half of what they do and go out of business, or at the very least develop no new drugs?

[areafiftyone]

It goes two ways. When they jack up prices so seniors have to choose between eating and medicine to stay alive. If my mother (who was a diabetic with high blood pressure) had to choose between eating (which is essential when you are a diabetic) and medicine - she would of course choose eating! If it weren't for me she would never have gotten her medicine and would not have lived as long as she did. These drug companies are paying tons of money on advertising right now. Everytime you turn on the tv you are bombarded with drug commercials like they are advertising candy! In the meantime prescriptions are going up and up! Even the co-pays are rising if you have insurance! Its too much for seniors on a fixed income. They have to develop some sort of prescription drug program for senior so maybe seniors won't have to make that trip. We do very little for our seniors here in this country this is the least we can do for them.