WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Allen on Tuesday urged greater funding to study which drugs and treatments offer the best remedies for ailments.

When Congress added a prescription-drug benefit to Medicare in 2003, the Maine Democrat won a provision calling for up to $50 million a year to compare which drugs are most effective. But Congress has funded only $15 million per year for the last two years.

Now Allen and Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., are proposing to create a program of $3 billion over five years to study drugs, medical equipment and other treatments to find the most effective.