Why Drugs Cost So Much / The Issues '04: Why We Pay So Much for Drugs

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For its part, the pharmaceutical industry would like to direct attention away from Canada and the debate in Washington. Says the PhRMA representative: "There are safer, better ways to resolve the access problem, to help patients who are having difficulty. You've got the patient-assistance and -discount programs. You've got, as a third option, the fact that as part of competitive marketing, our companies provide free samples of medicines, all types of medicines, to hundreds of thousands of doctors all over the country. And quite often those doctors give those free samples to patients who are having difficulty. And so there's that option: ask for a free sample." --With reporting by Laura Karmatz and Barbara Kiviat and research by Joan Levinstein