PHARMACEUTICAL LOBBYING AND ITS INFLUENCE

Pharmaceutical Lobbying and its Influence

Pharmaceutical Lobbying and its Influence

Introduction

The main issue of this research paper is to discuss the pharmaceutical lobbying and its influence. The pharmaceutical industry, often considered an untouchable ally of Republican leadership, has suffered from a recent bout of backlash. Republicans have partnered with Democrats to examine the lobbying and advertising activities of U.S. drug companies; this appraisal followed a heavy-handed industry campaign against Congress' Emerson-Gutknecht bill (a bill requiring that the FDA implement a system of prescription drug reciprocation) (Will draconian Bill, 2008). The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) lined up with a far-right Christian advocacy group to fight the legislation as an abortion-rights issue. This move angered traditional pro-life allies, and now shareholders are asking: whose interests are PhRMA protecting?

he pharmaceutical industry doesn't lobby for safety. They lobby for rapid review, rapid access to the marketplace. They haven't lobbied for drug safety; no one has. There are groups, consumer groups, that have spoken out, but not with a uniform voice. Large constituencies haven't joined together to say, "Stop the harm." When the papers came out from the Institute of Medicine talking about medical errors and medical harm, I thought surely there would be action taken and the agency would be given money to increase its safety net. The pharmaceutical industry, long an ally of Republicans, has increasingly worked itself into the good graces of the Democratic Party and by doing so has helped block the Democrats' top prescription-drug initiatives. In the year since they took over on Capital Hill, Democratic leaders have been unable to pass either a bill allowing reimportation of drugs from Canada or a measure requiring negotiation of drug prices under Medicare. Neither is likely to reach the president's desk this year. Lawmakers on both sides of these issues say the primary reason is the influence, now redirected, of the drug lobby.

Drug companies have gone on a hiring binge, retaining Democratic lobbyists in dozens of major firms. This strategy, which K Streeters call "clogging the system," prevents adversaries from hiring anyone from those consultancies. The drug lobby has also wooed congressional Democrats by plowing millions of dollars into helping with another Democratic goal: expansion of the children's health program. In a detente with its traditional foes, the drug industry joined a group that included AARP and Families USA to buy about $7 million in ads backing the expansion of the program, under which states receive federal money to provide health insurance to families with children.

The industry's main lobby, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA, paid for most of the group's budget. "They have all the money," explained John Rother, policy director of AARP, which is no slouch when it comes to spending money on lobbying. "They're the ones who can write the big checks." In years past, when pharmaceuticals leaned heavily Republican, Democrats did not have much reason to cut them a break or side with them on ...