The Economics of the Pharmaceutical Industry

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Nick Mutton
June 25, 2003
(202) 225-2276
**MEDIA ADVISORY**

“THE ECONOMICS OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES”

Washington, D.C. – On April 3, 2003, and again on June 12, 2003, the Subcommittee heard testimony from several witnesses regarding the high price of pharmaceutical drugs here in the United States, and the increasing number of Americans turning to Canada for more affordable ways to fill their prescriptions. The Subcommittee’s June 25, 2003, hearing will focus on retail prices of prescription drugs in the United States, as well as explore the reasons why Americans pay remarkably higher prices for their drugs than citizens of Canada and Europe. Additionally, the Subcommittee will hear testimony on cost containment remedies other than price controls.

WHO: Dan Burton (R-IN), Chairman House Government Reform Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness
The Honorable Gil Gutknecht (R-MN)
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC
Dr. Stephen Schondelmeyer, Professor of Pharmaceutical Economics
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

WHAT: Government Reform Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness Hearing “The Economics of the Pharmaceutical Industry in the United States”
WHEN: Wednesday, June 25, 2003, starting at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building

This is the third in a series of hearings conducted by the Subcommittee to examine both the problems involved in allowing re-importation of prescription pharmaceuticals from Canada, and potential solutions to those problems.

For more information, or to look at previous hearing resource materials, please visit Congressman Burton’s designated healthcare section on his website at http://www.house.gov/burton/healthcare.htm.