Although 47 percent of adults polled say they have a favorable view of pharmaceutical companies, 44 percent have an unfavorable view of these companies. In fact, pharmaceutical companies were outranked in respondees’ distrust only by health insurance companies (54 percent) and oil companies (63 percent). Those were among the findings of a new poll, the third in a series conducted jointly by USA Today and public opinion researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Of those polled, the high cost of drugs and high profits made by drug companies were the biggest issue: 79 percent say the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable, and 70 percent say pharmaceutical companies are too concerned about making profits and not concerned enough about helping people. Profits made by pharmaceutical companies are also seen as the biggest driver of the cost of drugs, with 79 percent citing this as a “major” factor.
Despite these negative views of prescription drug prices overall, 59 percent say prescription drugs reduce the need for expensive medical procedures and hospitalizations, and 56 percent say prescription drugs reduce healthcare costs by preventing illnesses. Read the report.
