Description:
With prescription drug prices rising three times faster than the rate of inflation, a forty year battle to control rising prescription drug costs has recently led several states to seek more aggressive measures against pharmacuetical companies. Skyrocketing medicine costs are especially hard on the elderly and people with fixed incomes. Drug companies say they are only passing along the higher costs of doing business, but critics charge that the companies are exaggerating research and development costs and blocking cheaper generic brands from entering the market. What part should the government play in controlling the price of medicines? Are drug companies treating consumers fairly? Speaker(s):
Roger Zion, former congressman, honorary chairman, 60 Plus Association
Dr. Larry Sasich, founder, WorstPills.com; research analyst, Public Citizen's Health Research Group
Dr. Frieda Butler, professor and coordinator, Gerontology Programs, George Mason University
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