Drug Firms Launch $10 Million Ad Campaign

WASHINGTON -- Drug manufacturers, under fire from consumer advocacy groups for opposing legislation to reduce prescription costs, announced Tuesday they would spend about $30 million through June to develop and promote a program that would help poor Americans gain access to the medicines they need.

Throughout the country, hundreds of public and private programs already provide some assistance to consumers who can't afford their prescriptions. But finding out about the programs and accessing them can be a daunting bureaucratic task for doctors, let alone consumers.

The new program establishes a Web site and calling centers to match consumers with the program that best suits their needs. The drug manufacturers' partnership is spending $10 million to promote the campaign. It took out full-page advertisements Tuesday in several large newspapers and will also air television ads.
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"This is serious business. This is going to be very expensive for the companies, but they're willing to make this commitment to save the free-market system in America," said Billy Tauzin, a former House committee chairman who is now president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.......
Tauzin said the companies would continue to oppose legislation that they believe would place less emphasis on free markets and more emphasis on government price controls.

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