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Drug prices relative to national income- study    WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Manufacturers' prescription drug prices, which vary by country and have been criticized as too expensive in the United States, generally correspond to differences in each nation's income, according to a study released on Wednesday.     Researchers compared prices drug makers charged to wholesalers for the 249 most frequently used drugs in the United States in 1999 with prices in eight other countries.     Average prices were highest in Japan, while prices in other countries were between 6 percent and 33 percent less than those in the United States, the study found. Canada's prices were lowest.     In Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Canada and the United States, the price differences roughly reflected variations in per capita income, the researchers said.     "The U.S. has higher prices, but it also has higher income," said Patricia Danzon, a health economist at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and the study's lead author.     In Chile and Mexico, drug prices were higher compared to average per capita income.     The study was funded by a grant from drug giant Merck & Co Inc.  and published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs.     Drug prices are a major U.S. political issue as many senior citizens and others lack insurance coverage for medicines. The U.S. government does not control drug prices, but many other countries do.     The U.S. Congress is considering providing prescription drug benefits under the federal Medicare insurance program for the elderly and allowing importation of cheaper medicines from Canada and possibly other countries.     The new report "shows the claims of huge price differentials are exaggerated," said Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry group.     The study showed cost-of-living differences and fluctuating exchange rates were major contributors to price variations, Trewhitt said.     Ron Pollack, executive director of consumer group Families USA, said some seniors still were saving thousands of dollars per year by purchasing medicines from Canada.     "I think the (price) differential is very substantial," Pollack said.     He also said Danzon's research factored in discounts that U.S. insurers receive and that are not available to people without prescription drug coverage.     The study looked at prices manufacturers charged wholesalers for brand-name and generic drugs, rather than retail prices, which include pharmacy and wholesaler mark-ups and taxes.  ((Reporting by Lisa Richwine, editing by Eric Walsh; Reuters Messaging: lisa.richwine.reuters.com@reuters.net; +1-202-310-5691)) Freundlichst,Twinson_99Langeweile? Online-Spielen.de.tt