Mythology: Most pharmaceutical research is government-funded

A paper from the PHRMA on pharmaceutical research shows that in 2004 the membership spent between them $38.8 billion on research and development (Chapter 1). If you add in companies that aren't members, the total is $49.3 billion. The entire 2004 NIH budget was $28 billion. Pharmaceutical research involves private and public sources, all of which contribute, but assuming it's all, or even mostly public is not correct.

Mythology: Pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising than research.

A source for advertising numbers is here. The total from this source, including samples which are given free to patients, is about $19 billion. Compare this to the research numbers.

Mythology: Pharmaceutical companies make excessive profits

Had to beat this one to death for oil companies, too. This article on drug company profits shows them to average about 16 percent, in line with many other industries.

The cost of drug approval:

This article puts the cost of approval of a new drug at nearly $900 million. The methodology and reasons for this are given in earlier articles, when the costs were lower.

This is what it costs whether the drug is approved or not, and approval does damn little to insulate the company from any later legal action. The paper linked to above details the number of drugs that start through the process versus the number that make it to the end.

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I'm not surprised there are a lot of people worried about their medication. There's a lot of people out there going a long ways out of their way to worry them. Medicare Part D has become another political weapon, and the Democrats, who are furious at having a beloved issue taken away from them, have a lot invested in seeing that the current plan doesn't work.

For the record, I don't think the plan should have been passed at all, and that went double for the Democratic one. I wouldn't cry very hard if it was repealed, but the coordinated attacks on it, largely using anecdotal evidence, tick me off.

If you're really looking for some help, try the Medicare site to start with.

This site may also useful for patients looking for assistance.