Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

Cassidy Lumpkin
James Madison University

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

Introduction
Prescription drugs are manufactured, prescribed and purchased by millions of people
everyday to cure or lessen illnesses, chronic or acute pains and numerous other reasons.
However, prescribed medications arent always easily accessible because they can be
unnecessarily priced. As a first-year health science major, I decided to choose a topic related to
medicine because I hope to strengthen my knowledge in the field and develop a better
understanding of the demand for prescription drugs in our current economy. In my research on
this topic, I discovered the costs for prescriptions are overly priced due to several factors which
include the expensive research and marketing of the medications. This research is important to
anyone who currently takes or will eventually need to purchase prescription drugs to aid their
health.

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

Emanuel, E. J. (2015, September 9). The Solution to Drug Prices. New York Times, p. A31(L).
Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com
The author of this article focuses on high drug costs in the United States compared to
other countries and possible explanations and solutions for overpriced medications. In this
article, the author, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, who is a contributing opinion writer for The New York
Times on a range of topics including health and health policy, plainly states Were paying too
much for prescription drugs (2015). He claims prescription drug prices are too high and there
needs to be a solution to this issue.
The article is aimed towards individuals who believe drug prices cannot continue to be so
outrageously high because they could possibly become to expensive for the majority of people to
afford. Information found within the article is reliable because it is based on factual and
statistical evidence, such as, On average, only on in every 5,000 compounds that drug
companies discover and put through preclinical testing becomes an approved drug (Emanuel,
2015). Although Ezekiel J. Emanuel provides statistics within the article, he also asserts his own
opinion when he states, If the United States were to consider such an approach, drug companies
would immediately raise two objections: the high risks associated with drug development and,
related, the high cost of research and development (2015). The article is also slightly bias
because he is an opinion writer but he remains credible because of the relevant information he
includes in his writing.
This article is useful to my research about how prescription drugs are priced
unnecessarily high because it discusses how countries other than the United States handle their
pharmaceutical market. The research presents a broader understanding of ways to approach
possible solutions to the prescription drug costs through viewpoints of countries such as

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

Australia and Sweden. After reading this article, I gained a greater comprehension of the
challenges individuals face in areas all over the world when it comes to pharmaceuticals.

Introduction to Prescription Drugs: Current Controversies. (2014). In S. Engdahl (Ed.), Current

Controversies. Prescription Drugs. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Retrieved
from http://ic.galegroup.com
This article highlights the issue of the increasing prescription drug costs over the past few
decades due to the fact there are many more drugs available for medical problems than
previously accessible. The information discussed within the article is mainly fact with a slight
bias detected. The author claims drug companies can only make money from drugs prescribed to
large numbers of people and they need to promote new drugs to increase their revenue. Support
for this claim is found throughout the article based on prior information as well as in the
references listed at the end of the article which include various websites and books.
The article is directed towards an audience that is familiar with the ongoing problem of
overpriced prescription drug and is looking to understand possible reasoning behind the issue.
The information present is reliable because it offers factual evidence of the causations of
prescription drug costs for instance, A more subtle but even greater way in which the
pharmaceutical industry influences the public is through information provided to the media
(Introduction, 2014). Pharmaceutical pricing is a large topic and this article provides current
and relevant information because it was published within the last two years.
This article provides both biased and impartial viewpoints and combines them to create a
well balanced, intriguing and factual portrayal of the current issues about prescription drug
prices. I chose this article because it did a commendable job at combining opinion and facts

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

while still getting the main points across to the readers. After reading this source, I have come to
understand and better distinguish what the drug industries want everyone to see and what we
dont arent shown.

(2015, Sep 27). Multiple factors cause high prescription drug prices in US. Sentinel, The
(Carlisle, PA). Retrieved from http://infoweb.newsbank.com
The source of this newspaper article, The Sentinel, explores the reasoning behind why
prescription drugs have become unnecessarily overpriced in recent years. Primarily, the article
focuses on how the pharmaceutical industry is increasing prices to compensate for research costs,
drug shortages, and competition between other drug companies. The Sentinel, a publishing news
organization, claims there are multiple factors that contribute to the excessive prescription drug
prices which include the US governments lack of regulating prices and insurance companies
who are charging unaffordable amounts.
The article is intended for the U.S government, pharmaceutical industries and patients
who are prescribed medications to provide a general overview of the how the decision to
increase drug prices can be detrimental to consumers. The information focuses mainly on
statistics and facts to influence the audience rather than the opinion and bias of the author.
Statistics are frequently used throughout the article, such as, From 2008 through 2014, average
prices for the most widely used brand-name drugs jumped 128 percent, according to prescription
benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Co[mpany] (Multiple, 2015). The article was
published within the last year with information pertinent to current issues in the world of
medicine.
This article is valuable to my research topic because it provides an impartial viewpoint on
the issue of prescription drug prices, which I examined in more opinionated pieces in the other

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

sources I have chosen on the same issue. I can use this source to further my understanding of the
necessary changes that need to be made to fix the current pharmaceutical dilemmas. This source
presents me with more of a demographic view and unbiased information to enhance my research
in the future.
Prescription-Drug Pricing. (2007, June 4). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from
http://icof.infobaselearning.com
This article raises the question: should prescription-drug prices be regulated? The purpose
of the information is to educate the readers. Within the article, there are a few graphs depicting
the pharmaceutical industrys spending on direct-to-consumer advertising and public opinion on
drug price increases. Throughout the document there are facts and statistics providing evidence
to strengthen the argument that prescription drug prices should be regulated because they are too
high. Aside from the numerous references within this article, there are references listed at the end
of the article as well.
The intended audience of this article includes all the individuals interested in knowing
more about their prescribed medication costs and for the government and drug companies who
havent come to a resolution on the issue. As mentioned before, this article consists of mostly
statistics and factual information such as, Consumers pay more for prescription drugs in the
U.S. than in any other country. For instance, they are estimated to spend 38% more than
consumers in Canada and 45% more than consumers in France (Prescription-drug, 2007).
Through the inclusion of such information, this article can be labeled as reliable and credible.
Amongst all my other sources, this article is the most significant because it gives the
audience the most evaluative view of prescription drugs and the pharmaceutical industry. I favor
this piece the most because it includes reputable sources and examines both the supporter and the

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

opponents arguments. This article is useful for my research because it allows me to see
reasoning behind several possibilities of solutions to the problem. After reading this source, I am
able to take my research a step further and make sure I understand all sides on this issue.

Wapner, J. (2014). Prescription Drugs Cost What the Market Will Bear. In S. Engdahl (Ed.),
Current Controversies. Prescription Drugs. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.
(Reprinted from A Secret Revealed: Why Drugs Cost What They Do, PLOS, 2011, April
20) Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com
The author of this piece intends to inform the readers that prescription drugs cost what
the market will carry. Jessica Wapner, a writer mainly focused on biomedical issues whose work
appeared in many major national publications, wrote mostly based on her own opinion in this
article. However, she does provide support for her claims by discussing the calculations behind
prescription prices. Also, there are a mix of sources from books and scholarly articles that are
fully cited in the reference pages.
The intended audience of this article is individuals wondering why drugs cost what they
do in the current market. As mentioned before, the article is biased which can be shown when the
author states, Drug companies advertise because the amount of profits guaranteed by what the
market will bear allows them to advertise, which of course in turn increase earnings (Wapner,
2015). This source is relevant to the research topic at hand because it attends to the questions
asked by consumers about the prices of drugs. This article was published within the last year
which adds to the credibility of the author.
Wapners article is a beneficial to my research because it contains bias unlike several of
my other pieces which provides insight into personal opinions rather than just a statistical and

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?

factual analysis of my topic. I can use this article to further shape my argument and enlarge my
viewpoints to issues other than just what the government is doing, rather to what individuals
believe is essential for marketing prescription drugs and obtaining reasonably priced
medications.

Are Prescription Drugs Priced Unnecessarily High?