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Survey: Americans value medications but think drug companies put profit first
Most Americans say that prescription drugs have improved their lives, but most also say that the pharmaceutical industry cares about profits more than people, according to a Kaiser Health Poll Report.
Of 1,201 people interviewed, 78% said prescription drugs have had a positive impact on the lives of Americans, and 91% said pharmaceutical companies make a positive contribution to society by researching and developing new drugs. But 70% said the drug companies put profits ahead of people, while only about a quarter of those surveyed said the companies are most concerned with saving and improving lives.
In the telephone survey, conducted in February, 59% of those interviewed said prescription drugs increase overall medical costs because they are so expensive, while 23% said drugs lower medical costs by reducing the need for expensive medical procedures.
About a quarter of those surveyed said pharmaceutical company profits are the most important factor behind rising health care costs; other reasons cited included “greed and waste in the health care system” (20%), the number of malpractice lawsuits (20%), an aging population (7%) and the use of expensive, high-tech medical equipment and treatments (7%).
Overall, 50% of those polled expressed an unfavorable view of drug companies, but the drug companies were viewed more favorably than oil or tobacco companies.
More than three-quarters of those polled (77%) said they have confidence in the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the safety of prescription drugs. When questioned about the confidence level of the FDA now compared with a few years ago, 62% said their confidence has remained the same.
“Recent controversy over the safety of a few popular drugs has yet to shift public perception of the FDA,” said Mollyann Brodie, PhD, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, which issued the survey results.
Respondents were about evenly split regarding whether there should be more drug advertising regulation and more drug safety regulation. The desire for more regulation has increased since a previous survey in 2000, when just about a third of respondents said there should be more regulation of drug advertising and drug safety.