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First let's talk about a few of the top prescription drug companies in the United States, all in the top ten internationally and their profits. The company Pfizer, USA is located in New York. Its record sales in 2013 were 52.67 billion, with profits of 22 billion, or 42% of sales. Next not quite as glaring is Merck & Co., USA, which is located in New Jersey had 44 billion in sales, with profits of 4.4 billion, 10% of sales. The last one is in my hometown of Indianapolis, Eli Lily & Co., sales of 23 billion with profits of 4.7 billion, about 20% of sales. The drug companies are the highest in profitability over all of all five top industries in the United States over Banks, Automakers, Oil & Gas, and Media. .
According to the article "Prescription Drug Accessibility and Affordability in the United States and Abroad", in The Commonwealth Fund Newsletter in June 2010, written by Steve Morgan and Jae Kennedy, approximately one out of every ten dollars spent on healthcare costs in 2004 is for the cost of prescription drugs. The expense has nearly doubled compared to the previous decade per capita, at 7.1% at the time the article was written. As of 2013 it had risen to 9.3%, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it might sound low comparatively, when matched with other countries compared in the article, such as the United Kingdom at 5.6% and Canada at 5.8%, even what seems a small difference, one or one and a half percent of billions, is a large number, or $500,000 per billion. Another article on Benefits Management website, Prescription drug costs drive increase in healthcare to consumers which totals 6.3% in 2015, the prescription costs increased 13.6% from 2014 to 2015. This is said to be a result of the introduction of new specialty drugs, price increases on brand-name and generic prescriptions and an increased use of compound medicines. .
Average income for a family in the U.