>>...It seems that United States pharmaceutical companies perceive that they should enjoy high profits, rationalize why, and spend billions of dollars a year on advertising and lobbying.
>
>Not to mention millions/billions of $s on research.

Yet even there we see now that research criteria is being abbreviated, to the detriment of the drug users. Worse, your FDA approves drugs for specific uses only and the drug companies have HUGE marketing budgets to push doctors to prescribe the drugs for "off label" conditions. Off label means NOT APPROVED by the FDA!

Now where's the sense in that, other than profit by marginally "legal" means???