Drug Industry Spent a Record Amount on Lobbying in the First Half of 2019
Health Care

Drug Industry Spent a Record Amount on Lobbying in the First Half of 2019

Srdjan Zivulovic

As Congress considers legislation to lower drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry spent a record amount on lobbying in the first half of the year, the Financial Times’s Hannah Kuchler and Kiran Stacey report, based on congressional filings.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a leading industry trade group, spent $16.1 million on lobbying in the first six months of the year, up 4% from the $15.5 million it spent in the first half of 2018. PhRMA spent $27.5 million over the full year in 2018, also a record.

Large drug companies also put significant money into lobbying efforts from January through June, as the FT details.

  • Pfizer: $7.1 million, up from $6.6 million in the first half of 2018
  • Merck: $5 million, up from $4.1 million
  • Eli Lilly: $3.7 million, up 32% from the year before
  • Johnson & Johnson: $3.6 million, up from $2.3 million
  • Gilead Sciences: $2.9 million, up 80% over 2018.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the trade association representing pharmacy benefit managers, spent $2.1 million on lobbying over the first half of 2019, up 40% from the same period a year earlier.

America’s Health Insurance Plans, the group representing health insurers, spent $5.1 million on lobbying, up 37% from the first six months of 2018.

The American Hospital Association spent $10,2 million, up 10% from the same period in 2018, while the American Medical Association, which represents doctors, spent $11.5 million, up 6%.

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