Some consumer advocates complain about the high cost of prescription drugs.
But officials of pharmaceutical companies point out that the successful research, development and marketing of new cures cuts down enormously on the cost of the associated disease. Experts report that since 1965, innovative medications have helped cut deaths from emphysema by 57 percent and deaths from ulcers by 72 percent. Advances in pharmaceuticals not only help patients to lead more normal lives, they lower overall treatment costs, health-care economists point out.