Pharmaceutical manufacturers increase lobbying

The Associated Press reports: "The pharmaceutical industry's primary trade group spent nearly $6.2 million lobbying in the second quarter on health care reform provisions, confirmation of two top federal officials and other issues, according to a recent disclosure report. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent about $5 million on lobbying in the year-ago period. The group's members include drug giants Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson and more than two dozen other U.S. and foreign companies. PhRMA lobbied on multiple aspects of health care reform, including funding for specific reform provisions, a proposal requiring research comparing effectiveness of different drugs and other medical treatments, and on multiple bills to allow approval of generic versions of expensive biologic drugs," as well as many other issues  (8/20).

In a separate article, the Associated Press/Forbes reports: "Johnson & Johnson, the maker of health products from Band-Aids to biologic drugs, spent nearly $1.6 million in the second quarter" on lobbying, compared to $1.7 million in the same period a year ago. The AP notes that J & J "this year lobbied on patent reform provisions, federal budget legislation and various aspects of health reform. Those included bills to require research comparing the effectiveness of medications and other medical treatments, mandate that health products come with effectiveness information and provide quality health care to all Americans" (8/20).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.