Is all the political fury surrounding drug prices merely the act of politicians and executives warming themselves against a chilly wind of public outrage. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Elected officials claim to be putting Big Pharma's feet to the fire as they pursue a multi-pronged campaign to rein in runaway (and highly unpredictable) prescription drug prices.

But some of those observing these investigations wonder: Are both the executives summoned to testify and the politicians merely warming themselves against a chilly wind of public outrage?

If intentions are cloudy, the focus of government regulation is not. At the state and federal level, politicians are targeting:

• Rebates provided by pharmacy benefit managers
• Price fluctuations for the same drug
• Patent lengths
• An overall lack of transparency about how prices are set and where the money goes

The pols and Big Pharma find themselves in a tough spot as public pressure forces deeper digging into drug pricing policies. For years, Big Pharma has been dumping millions into the campaign chests of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, at the state and federal level. But the Obama Administration, with its health care reform act, effectively released from its bottle the genie of prescription drug gouging. Now a much better informed voting public wants action from its legislators. And what better way to respond that lengthy Congressional and state legislative hearings?