Public Life Advocate: The Tracker (May 2005)
This edition of The Tracker can be found in print publication of the Public Life Advocate at the website of the Public Life Foundation . Sources for this edition's Tracker can be found at the end of this post. Check back for additional information on an ongoing basis. * Each year 32,000 older adults suffer from hip fractures—contributing to more than 1,500 deaths—attributable to drug-induced falls. * Two million older Americans are addicted or at risk of addiction to minor tranquilizers or sleeping pills because they have used them daily for at least one year. * According to the Fortune 500 in 2002, the drug industry ranked second among all business sectors in return on shareholder equity, with a rate more than two-and-a-half times the 2002 Fortune 500 median (27.6% compared with 10.2%). * In the 1990s, the drug industry’s profitability grew to almost four times the Fortune 500 median. * Vioxx (arthritis medication now off the market) was more heavily advertised in 2000 than