Woo! Pharmaceuticals ARE expensive. My monthly pill bill is around $230 give or take. That's taking advantage of the $4 generics on three of them, and that's with insurance. I think my deductible is 2K per year. Take a lesson from me, kids, don't do stupid things and have the insurance company put you in the "High Risk" category
BUT, as expensive as they are, I can't not take them or my hair will fall out, I'll break out in acne, I'll hibernate (bum thyroid), claw my eyes out, smoke, and won't breath. It's ridiculous. I'm a walking pharmacy. I actually forget all I take sometimes. I take.. let's see... two albuterol, two wellbutrin, two doxycycline, two levothyroxine, two hydroxyzine, and one propecia daily. That's ELEVEN pills every day, not including the eight horse pills I take as vitamins every day. I use those damned pill organizers old people, cancer and HIV patients take. I'm totally dependant on these pills to maintain my quality of life. To be fair, I only NEED to take the levothyroxine and albuterol, the rest are just lifestyle drugs.
Putting a limit on anyone's profits is totally un-American in my opinion. If they are doing something illegal or the money is going to the wrong place illegally, then crack down on them but do not put a limit on anyone's profits. Yeah, they totally make way more than they probably should, but this is capitalism and they can charge what they want, and that is fair. No one forces you do take their pills or buy their gas. You may NEED to, but you don't HAVE to. You can buy your drugs from foreign countries if you're the trusting type, and use bio-diesel. No one is holding a gun to your head.
I ALSO think saying they should not advertise or give doctors free samples is wrong. This is America. I support maximum freedom. I see no reason why drug or even cigarette (begrudingly) companies should not be allowed to advertise their product. Americans LOVE their pills. As long as you've got a nice little slip of paper, anti-drug soccer moms will gladly shovel down Xanax with their afternoon cocktail and Ambien (Now with TWO layers for maximum unconsciousness) with their cigarettes before bed, before waking up the next day and giving Little Billy amphetamines so he'll do well in school (give anyone amphetamines and they'll study.. c'mon). The pharmaceutical companies are so powerful because we're all drug addicts in one sense and are more than willing to throw our money at them for a magic little pill that will make our life just a little bit better.