Coalition to Spotlight Prescription Drug Prices

An AFL-CIO coalition of retired union members is seeking to stir up debate on prescription drugs before next year’s congressional elections.

The Alliance for Retired Americans is being launched this week with a new study criticizing pharmaceutical companies for rising prescription drug costs. The alliance will also hold a rally Wednesday at drug maker Pfizer Inc.’s headquarters in New York.

“It’s clearly a major voting issue,” said the group’s executive director, Ed Coyle.

Organized labor is increasing its grass-roots effort after last year’s election, when Democrats hoped the prescription drug issue would help tip Congress their way. But pharmaceutical companies, fearing a government drug plan that could mean price controls, fought back with a $65-million campaign that helped neutralize the issue.