From 1977 to 1992, the price of full immunization for a child increased from $11 to $230. Half of California's two-year-old children today are not fully protected by immunization.

Kira Carrillo Corser © 1993

Kira Carrillo Corser © 1993

"The price of Naprosyn, an arthritis medicine, was raised ten times in seven years (between
1985 and 1991). The price of Lopressor, a blood pressure pill, was raised nine times...The
largest increase was for Premarin, an estrogen (pill)...which sold for two and a half times
as much in 1991 as in 1985...

"Drug company lobbyists say skyrocketing drug prices reflect research needs, but the truth is
that...little of this money goes into research. While profits far more than doubled from 1985
to 1991, fewer than half of the top drug companies increased their research budgets even 10 %
a year. Even by their claims, they put more money into advertising, promotion, and lobbying than research."

- Ron Pollack, executive director, Families USA,
a health care consumer group, quoting from a 1992 study, "Prescription Costs: America's Other Drug Crisis."

Factory Prices of Prescription Drugs, Cost Comparison: *

Drug	Prescribed for	Dose	Unit	Canada	U.S.	Diff.
Tylenol	fever, pain	300/30 mgm	100 tabs	$ 3.32	19.38	484 %
w/codeine
Premarin	hormone repl.	.625 mgm	100	10.10	26.47	162%
Inderal	beta blocker:	40 mgm	100	10.21	35.79	251%
	heart, bl. press
Xanax	anxiety	.5 mgm	100	16.92	47.81	183%
Ativan	tranqilizer	1 mgm	100	6.16	49.43	702%
Naprosyn	arthritis	375 mgm	100	42.64	72.36	70%
Isordil	heart	10 mgm	100	1.63	17.41	967%

* Study by U.S. General Accounting Office, 1991