WASHINGTON (AP) Nearly six in ten Americans who were surveyed are blaming the pharmaceutical industry when it comes to the high cost of health care.

The survey is being released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The group's bi-monthly poll on health care also finds nearly two-thirds of the respondents favor more government regulations to help keep the costs down.

But, attitudes toward the drug companies aren't all negative. The Foundation's Vice President Mollyann Brodie says 90 percent of the respondents think drug companies make a positive contribution to society.

Also, the survey finds strong confidence in the Food and Drug Administration. More than three-quarters of those polled say they are confident the agency is ensuring drug safety, despite the recent problems linked to Vioxx and other pain remedies.

Mollyann Brodie, vice president, Kaiser Family Foundation, in A-P interview Brodie says their survey finds Americans are pleased with breakthroughs in medicine, but think the drug companies are charging too much for their products.

On the Web: www.kff.org/healthpollreport

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