[Ip-health] Big pharma investments in R&D

[James Love]

R&D, as in republicans and democrats.....   

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [RxPolicy] CRP's New Money in Politics Alert
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 02:05:12 -0000
From: news@rxpolicy.com
To: RxPolicy@yahoogroups.com

http://www.opensecrets.org/alerts/v6/alertv6_33.asp

Drug Money: 
The Pharmaceutical Industry's
Post-Sept. 11th Lobbying

With fears of bioterrorism on the rise, members of Congress and the
Bush administration are looking to boost the nation?s defenses when it
comes to infectious diseases--a plan that includes spending billions
of dollars to stockpile vaccines and antibiotics that could fight
outbreaks like anthrax and smallpox. 

On the frontlines of this debate is the pharmaceutical industry, which
has offered Washington unprecedented help in its efforts to combat
terrorism. Companies have made available free supplies of drugs and
vaccines, while at the same time offering to loan some of the
industry?s most talented scientists to work with government agencies
in the development of new cures. 

But such offers rarely come without strings attached?especially when
they come from one of the most powerful special interest lobbies in
Washington. 

In exchange for its help, the drug industry, the 10th biggest campaign
contributor to federal parties and candidates so far this year, is
pressing President Bush and Congress for some major policy
concessions. Pharmaceutical companies have asked to be protected from
lawsuits should the vaccines they develop to fight terrorism cause
health problems. They want to block generic drug companies from making
cheaper version of their drugs, and they are pressing the Food and
Drug Administration to review and approve new drugs more quickly. 

Few of these requests are new, but the political atmosphere in which
they are being debated is. Although Congress repeatedly has rejected
such requests in the past, much of the industry wish list is included
in a bioterrorism defense bill recently introduced by Sens. Edward
Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). 

So far this year, the drug industry has contributed nearly $5 million
in soft money, PAC and individual contributions to federal parties and
candidates, more than two-thirds to Republicans. That includes roughly
$500,000 in soft money drug makers contributed to the Senate
fund-raising committees during the month of October alone. Major
contributors included Pfizer ($125,000 to the National Republican
Senatorial Committee), Schering-Plough ($50,000 to the Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee) and Johnson & Johnson ($50,000 to both
the DSCC and NRSC). 

The drug industry?s lobbying?and offers of assistance?come at a time
when pharmaceutical companies continue to fend off congressional
attempts to make prescription drugs cheaper, a policy move that was
heavily touted during the 2000 elections. The industry also continues
to fight legislation that would sharply curb its marketing practices,
among other things. 

In some cases, however, the lobbying is surprisingly specific.
Bristol-Myers Squibb, for instance, is pressing lawmakers to be
exempted from legislation that would endanger its patent on
Glucophage, a diabetes drug that is the company?s biggest seller. Its
patent is due to expire in two months, but the company hopes to extend
its monopoly another three years via a seldom-used legal loophole that
allows it to evoke exclusive marketing rights to a drug if the company
discloses another use for the product. 

In the case of Glucophage, Bristol-Myers Squibb found that the drug
was safe on children, and in turn, the company hopes to prevent
generic competition by evoking its exclusive right to label the drug
for pediatric use. However, the House and Senate recently approved
legislation that would close that loophole, thwarting Bristol-Myers
Squibb?s plan to exclusively market the drug until February 2004. With
the bill pending in conference committee, Bristol-Myers Squibb
recently has retained an army of lobbyists whose primary goal is to
protect the company?s patent. 

So far this year, Bristol-Myers Squibb has contributed just under
$650,000 in soft money, PAC and individual contributions to federal
parties and candidates, 78 percent to Republicans. The latest
installment: a $250,000 check the company contributed to the NRSC on
Oct. 22?just days after the Senate approved its version of the bill.