Drug companies hiring lobbyists with Democratic ties Posted by Liz at 02/01/07 12:08 PM

In a Bloomberg story from yesterday:

Pharmaceutical companies and Iraq war contractors, both heavy Republican contributors, are among the companies scrambling to hire lobbyists with Democratic ties as they prepare for congressional investigative hearings next week.

Pfizer Inc., the world's biggest drugmaker, has hired the Glover Park Group, whose partners include Joe Lockhart, a former spokesman for President Bill Clinton, and Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Roche Holding AG picked as its lobbyist William Clyburn, cousin of the House's third-ranking Democrat, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.

The increased hiring coincides with the Democratic congressional sweep that has sent shudders through corporate boardrooms.

The pharmaceutical industry, which the Center for Responsive Politics says gave 68 percent of its 2006 campaign gifts to Republicans, may be the biggest target for investigators. The House voted Jan. 12 to require the Medicare program, which provides health care for the elderly and disabled, to negotiate prices with drug companies; five congressional committees plan hearings into industry practices, including the generic-drug approval process and drug safety.

comments (4)

1 Posted by Wendy Teague at 02/01/07 01:31 PM

Why hasnt a bill been passed to outlaw lobbyists? As I see, they pay bribes to campaigns or throw parties for candidates to get what they want. All bribes should be outlawed! Politicians need to be statesmen again and do the job they are elected to do, not line their pockets at our expense!

2 Posted by John Konop at 02/01/07 02:48 PM

Tom Price Tells Retirees Their Prescription Drug Costs are Already Low Enough

The Cherokee Ledger News recently reported that Dr. Price voted not to let Medicare negotiate drug prices to help save both the program and retired Americans money. He did so against the wishes of the AARP and in contrast to most of his colleagues in congress. The Veterans Administration does negotiate prices, and saves vets millions.

Why the “no” vote, you ask? Because he’s bought and paid-for by the medical lobby. His votes are easy to predict. If the bill moves money into the hands of the medical lobby, he’s all over it. If it moves money out of the medical industry, it’s a no-go (I’m sorry, it’s “bad for patients”).

But let’s take a look at Price’s excuses:

• “The less involvement government has in medical care, the better.”
–So does this mean Price wants to eliminate Medicare? No, I didn’t think so. This is just meaningless rhetoric.

• 90 percent of AARP members support giving Medicare the power to bargain for lower drug costs.
– To them Price says, “I’m sorry that AARP’s taken such a partisan approach on this.”

• “Washington bureaucrats will decide which drugs will be available for patients, not from a scientific or safety standpoint, but purely based on money. Many drugs would be knocked off the approved list if Medicare had the power to negotiate, resulting in a smaller choice of drugs being available to seniors”
– False. The bill (unfortunately) did not authorize Medicare to remove a non-discounted drug from coverage. The stronger Veterans Administration policy does.

• “Nobody negotiates with the federal government. The federal government tells you what to do.”
– Well, he voted to make sure the first sentence remained true.

• “Government never has quality in mind when it comes to medical care; its whole objective is decreasing costs.”
–As opposed to health insurance companies, who think of nothing but quality and don’t care about expenses? Sure.

• “The free market has continually proven more adept at lowering expenses.”
–Whoops, I thought it was the government that was manically focused on decreasing costs. Well, his quote is true, if you realize it’s referring to health insurance company expenses, not patients’ out-of-pocket expenses.

• “Many quality physicians have been forced out of business by Medicare requirements.”
– Even if that’s true, it was no doubt due to Medicare’s reimbursements for office visits and other direct physician care, not its prescription reimbursement policies.

3 Posted by kat2753 at 05/30/07 11:24 AM

There is nothing we can do about drug companies hiring lobbyists. There is nothing we can do about a corrupt, money-grubbing Congress members who allow lobbyists to buy their support. Hey, if that wasn't true then drug companies would not waste their money on hiring lobbyists. Most people are so caught-up in just managing their own day-to-day affairs; they don't have time to worry or act about something that they think doesn't directly involve them. Unfortunately, that is just the way it is.

4 Posted by Bob Erikson at 07/18/07 12:36 AM

CNN has become a hypocrtical corporate drug pusher.

Pharmaceutical pills kill 1000's of people in the US / yr., and Prozac, Paxil & Zoloft triple the risk of suicide among young people.

Yet Cannabis, a substance which is 100% non-lethal and virtually non-addictive, is demonized CONSTANTLY by the CNN pharmaslut hypocrits.