Tom's Rx Drug Studies

Rx Drugs More Expensive in Maine than in Canada, Europe, and Japan, 6/15/01


Beginning in 1998, Tom has commissioned a series of investigations by the Minority Staff Special Investigations Division of the House Committee on Government Reform to examine the prices that uninsured Maine seniors pay for the medications their doctors prescribe. In July of that year, Tom released the findings of his first study which found that, on average, uninsured Maine seniors pay twice as much for their prescription drugs as the pharmaceutical companies charge their favored customers including insurance companies and bulk purchasers like the federal government for the Veterans Administration and the Medicaid program. In October of 1998, Tom released a second study which found that uninsured Maine seniors pay 72 percent more for their prescription drugs than consumers in Canada and 102 percent more than consumers in Mexico. Tom released a third study in November 1999 which found that pharmaceutical companies also charge substantially less for drugs prescribed for seniors when those same drugs are used to treat animals. A fourth study, released in April of 2000 documented pharmaceutical company price discrimination for drugs used to treat breast cancer. In June of 2001, Tom released his most recent study which found the Maine seniors pay substantially more for their medications than consumers in Canada, Europe and Japan.

To obtain PDF format copies of these reports, click on the links below. PDF documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, to download it, click here


Tom has used these studies to advance the debate in Congress over adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare and making prescription drugs more affordable through his bill, H.R. 1400, the Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act. Tom's studies have also been replicated by other members of Congress in their districts around the country (the first study alone has now been done in over 100 congressional districts), all with similar findings.