Support for Drug Importation and Price Caps Grows as Americans Blame Big Pharma for the High Cost of Medications
public opinion on prescription drug importation
A recent Health Day/Harris poll reveals that an increasing number of Americans support price controls on prescription drugs. The number of Americans who support such measures has climbed to 81%, representing a steady increase in numbers from Harris Poll surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015. Public support for personal importation of medicines has also risen.
While nine out of ten adults polled place the blame for sharp price hikes squarely with the pharmaceutical companies, a mere 34% of Americans agree with Big Pharma's often used excuse that high prescription drug prices are necessary to keep research and development moving forward. Interestingly, the Washington Post recently reported that the industry trade group, PhRMA, has increased pharmaceutical company member dues by 25% to enlarge the group's budget to lobby against price controls on prescription drugs.
Millions of Americans do not take medications as prescribed by their doctors due to the high cost. Reducing or skipping medication is not only detrimental to an individual's health, but is also costing America's health care system billions of dollars when those patients wind up needing critical care due to their inability to afford their drug therapies.
Are the recent news headlines about skyrocketing price increases for life-saving medications such as EpiPen and Daraprim causing Americans to become more distrustful of the pharmaceutical industry? "Recent reports of big drug price increases seem to have made the public even angrier with the pharmaceutical industry than they were before," noted Humphrey Taylor, chairman emeritus of The Harris Poll.
Americans need more affordable options when shopping for their prescription drugs. Personal importation of prescription drugs from verified international pharmacies is one of the quickest and most effective ways to make safe and affordable medications available to Americans. Protect your access to safe and affordable medications through the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation (CPPI), a national nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of Americans to help tackle the high cost of drugs in the USA. You can learn more through the CPPI website.
