Americans are back to disliking the pharmaceutical industry.
Drug companies enjoyed an unusual spike in public favor last year, as 40 percent of people polled said they have a positive view of the industry, although more than one third still held a negative view. But according to a new Gallup poll, positive opinion has since slipped to 35 percent, and negative views are up from 36 percent last year to 43 percent.
That puts the drug industry back among Americans’ lowest-rated industries, which include the legal field, the healthcare industry, the oil and gas industry and, coming in last by a long shot, the federal government.
Pharma’s falling approval rating could be partly linked to a recent spike in attention paid to drug prices, as specialty drugs entering the market for the first time have dramatically contributed to rising costs. Some drugs can cost as much as $150,000 annually. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has focused on the problem for consumers in his Democratic presidential bid, promising to introduce a bill taking aim at high drug costs.
Perhaps counterintuitively, the poll also found a linkage between people who would be more likely to support Democrats and more positive views of drugmakers. Minorities, those younger than 35, urban residents and those with annual incomes with less than $50,000 were more likely to view the pharmaceutical industry favorably.
The poll was conducted Aug. 5-9 among 1,011 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
