The soaring cost of prescription drugs has caused two interrelated problems — the expense for those who can afford to pay for them and the limited access to medications for those who cannot. These problems are particularly severe for the elderly and people with chronic illness.From 1999 to 2000, spending for prescription drugs grew by 17.3 percent, the sixth consecutive year with a double-digit increase (Figure 1). The rate of growth is greater than for any other health service. There are many reasons for this, including the introduction of new treatments and the aging of the population. Direct-to-consumer advertising . . .
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Robert Steinbrook (2002) studied this question.