Public Citizen Report Exposes Drug Industry Spending Blitz to Keep Prices High (tags)
The pharmaceutical industry launched an unprecedented lobbying blitz last year to stop Congress from enacting a Medicare drug benefit, spending a record $262 million on political influence in the 1999-2000 election cycle, including $177 million on lobbying, $65 million on issue ads and $20 million on campaign contributions - more than any other industry in 1999-2000. It hired 625 different lobbyists last year - or more than one lobbyist for every member of Congress. More than half were either former members of Congress (21) or worked in Congress or other federal agencies (295).