Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
PhRMA Spent Big On Lobbying In Record-Breaking First Quarter
Stat: Drug Industry Trade Group Breaks Its Quarterly Record On Lobbying Spending
PhRMA, the drug industry’s big trade group, spent nearly $10 million lobbying the federal government in the first three months of this year — its most on record for a single quarter. The trade group’s spending has risen annually since 2014 — a sign of just how powerful a player the drug industry has become in Washington. In 1999 and 2000, it spent less each year on lobbying than it did over the past quarter. (Robbins and Mershon, 4/20)
Bloomberg: Drugmaker Group Sets Lobbying Record
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent $9.96 million on federal lobbying, according to disclosures filed Friday with the government. The trade group increased its spending by nearly $2 million from the same period in 2017, when it also set a quarterly record. Bayer Corp., AbbVie Inc., Sanofi US, Novo Nordisk A/S and Celgene Corp all reached new highs in their spending as well. Spending on lobbying was reported twice a year until 2008. (Brody and Edney, 4/20)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: NIH Is Sued For Plans To Award License For CAR-T Therapy To Gilead
Apatient advocacy group has filed a lawsuit to block the federal government from awarding an exclusive license to Gilead Sciences (GILD) for an experimental cancer therapy, arguing that the potential for a high price may preclude access to many Americans. At issue is a CAR-T treatment, which relies on the immune system to attack cancer cells. Last December, the National Institutes of Health indicated plans to award a worldwide exclusive license to a CAR-T treatment that is being developed with taxpayer funds to Kite Pharma, which had recently been purchased by Gilead. (Silverman, 4/20)
