Pharmaceutical Industry Spent Over $168M on Lobbying in 2007

Scott Kappes

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According to a report released today the pharmaceutical industry was once again the largest lobbying presence in Washington in 2007. Collectively the industry dumped some $168 million into lobbying efforts. This is up by 32 percent from a year ago. Over the past decade drug and medical device companies have easily spent over $1 billion on lobbying.

More than 90 percent of the total was spent by 40 companies and three trade groups: the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the Biotechnology Industry Organization, and the Advanced Medical Technology Association.

The largest spender among individual pharmaceutical companies was Amgen with $16.2 million followed by Pfizer at $13.8 million.

Collectively these millions in contributions go to promoting the agenda of the industry at large. The main interests here are to ensure that less expensive medications are not imported from other countries, to ensure that patent rights of medications developed by pharmaceutical companies are protected to the fullest extent, and to obtain even greater access to international markets through the expansion of free trade policies.

Big Pharma is a force like no other. They have billions of dollars to contribute to their cause and that cause is to make billions more. It is a perpetual machine that grows larger and larger each year with no end in sight. In the near future something must be done to reduce the power of these giants, and get our lawmakers to start making more decisions on behalf of their constituents, not the company with the deepest pockets.