Increased lobbying efforts pay off for drug companies

by Anne Law, June 26th, 2008, 7:00 am

The numbers are in and it’s official — pharmaceutical firms outspent everyone, including themselves, on lobbying US senators and representatives in 2007. Pharma companies shelled out $168 million last year, a 32% increase over 2006, to influence politicians to take their side on issues including prescription drug ads and drug importation. And they were largely successful, according to an analysis from watchdog journalism group Center for Public Integrity. The organization’s figure jumps to $189 million when you add in medical equipment and other health-related product makers that commiserate with big pharma on issues such as patent laws and CMS reimbursement.

The drugmaking industry already held the top position among lobbying industries, outshining big spenders such as energy firms and industrial manufacturers. The top 5 big corporate spenders were Amgen, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, and GlaxoSmithKline, all of which are working ardently to hang onto their leading market positions. Many of the companies on the watchdog group’s list are represented by trade organizations who support common pharma interests, such as the #1 overall spender, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

The Center for Public Integrity points to a large slate of medical-related legislation and the Democrats’ takeover of Congress as possible causes for the sharp increase in spending. When you consider the problems drug companies have been running into recently, such as questions about Amgen’s anemia drugs and Pfizer’s smoking cessation drug, as well as general industry issues such as patent litigation and generic competition, it’s not terribly surprising that these drugmakers are clamoring for political support.

Likewise, looking at the amount of money the companies are forking over, it’s not a shock that they usually get their way.