Drug Makers Hired 1300 Lobbyists Last Year

AP advance: Drug firms spent more than $800 million on campaigns

Pharma army: 1,300 lobbyists hired in last year

The pharmaceutical industry's run of success on Capitol Hill has benefited from the more than $800 million spent since 1998 on lobbyists and political campaigns, a political watchdog group told AP's Kevin Freking Wednesday. The trade group representing drug makers said the money helped patients. The following excerpts, acquired by RAW STORY, will run nationwide later tonight.

In the past year, the industry hired nearly 1,300 lobbyists, including dozens of former lawmakers and hundreds of people who worked for congressional committees or regulatory agencies.

"It is astonishing to learn that no other interest has spent more money to sway public policy in this time period," said Roberta Baskin, the executive director of the Center for Public Integrity. The nonpartisan research group investigated the pharmaceutical industry's spending.
Baskin described the industry's motives for its spending as profit-driven.

Ken Johnson, senior vice president for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the report was "clearly biased and one-sided."

He said it failed to acknowledge that "medicines researched and developed by America's biopharmaceutical research companies save lives and improve the quality of life for tens of millions of patients from around the world."

Last year, according to the center, the industry spent $128 million on such efforts, including seeking tax breaks as part of a massive corporate tax relief bill.

Drug companies lobbied for $5.6 billion in spending for biodefense and for a bill that allows easier access to patents for inventions researched jointly by public institutions and private entrepreneurs.

More to break tonight via AP.... DEVELOPING....