From: Alex Pappas [alexpappas@flash.net]
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 11:15 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Cc: Jim Cook
Subject: Advertising legal drugs

I think it is appalling that roughly 1/3 of prescription drug costs are due to advertising.  Ten years ago drugs were 7% of the total health care bill.  Now they are 17% which is equal to the total received by all MD's and surgeons.

17% should be 11% or less.  6% of 1.3 trillion is almost 1 billion wasted.   

Also, let's allow foreign drug companies to compete in the US.  The Europeans are not dying like flies using those drugs which are half the cost of the US drugs sold under oligopolistic circumstances verses a competitive market.

Please stop the nonsense!


Alex Pappas
510-841-7864