[Pharm-policy] OUCH! (#54--CPI on the Drug Industry) (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

     OUCH! A Regular Bulletin on How Money in Politics Hurts You

 #54                                 Public Campaign
July 13, 2000
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CORRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX #9

=B7 Pharmaceutical industry=92s profit margin in 1999: 18.6%.

=B7 Fortune 500 median profit margin the same year: 5%.

=B7 Ratio of pharmaceutical industry=92s marketing and administration
expenses to research and development: 2:1.

=B7 Number of lobbyists industry hired to work on Medicare prescription
drug coverage in 1999: 297.

=B7 Amount pharmaceutical industry has spent on campaign contributions
since 1993: $33.4 million.

=B7 Lead sponsor of pro-industry legislation on Medicare prescription drug
coverage that would do little to contain escalating costs: Rep. Bill
Thomas (R-Calif.).

=B7 Top recipient in House of Representatives of pharmaceutical campaign
contributions since 1993: Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.).

=B7 Number of people covered by Medicare: 39 million.

=B7 Percent of prescription medicines used in the U.S. by people ages 65
and older: less than 1/3.
=B7 Median income of persons 65 and older: $13,768.

=B7 Likelihood that a person with an income of $13,768 makes a campaign
contribution of at least $200 to a congressional campaign: well under
5%.

For more information (and for detailed sourcing on these statistics) go
to www.publicampaign.org.
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OUCH! is a regular e-mail bulletin on how private money in politics
hurts average citizens, published by Public Campaign, a non-partisan,
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