Most voters believe prescription drugs expensive mainly due to Big Pharma greed, poll finds

A majority of voters think that high prescription drug prices are primarily due to the greed of pharmaceutical companies, according to a new poll.

Only 20% think that high costs are the result of excessive government regulations, and only 17% attribute high costs to research and development, according to a Napolitan News Service poll of 1,000 voters nationwide that was conducted May 14-15.

Most voters, 56%, said the high costs are due to the greed of pharmaceutical companies. The breakdown was 47% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats.

"Just 24% of Republicans and 18% of Democrats say that the costs are due to excessive regulations, and 20% of Republicans and 17% of Democrats say they are primarily due to the high costs of research and development," said a Napolitan News Service release.

According to the survey results, 31% of voters think that forcing pharmaceutical companies to lower prices will "reduce the number of new and better drugs that those companies are able to create" and 45% said it will not.

The results showed that 47% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats said it would not reduce the number of new and better drugs created.

Most voters, 50% to 38%, said it would be "good for Americans if the government paid for most health care and could therefore decide which drugs would or would not be available," the press release said.

"A plurality of Republicans (49%) and a majority (52%) of Democrats also say that it would be good for Americans if the government paid for most health care and could decide which drugs were and were not available," the release said.