WASHINGTON, June 24, 2008 — Washington's largest lobby, the pharmaceutical industry, racked up another banner year on Capitol Hill in 2007, backed by a record $168 million lobbying effort, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal lobbying data. Among the industry's successes: getting two controversial laws extended and thwarting congressional efforts to restrict media ads for prescription drugs. >>
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2007 — Manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other health products spent nearly $182 million on federal lobbying from January 2005 through June 2006, a Center for Public Integrity study of disclosure records shows. >>
WASHINGTON, December 13, 2006 — When George W. Bush proposed his five-year, $15 billion initiative to "turn the tide against AIDS" in the developing world in 2003, he said the availability of low-cost drugs to fight the disease "places a tremendous possibility within our grasp." >>
WASHINGTON, August 30, 2006 — Members of Congress and their aides accepted more than $600,000 in free travel from pharmaceutical interests during a 5½-year period in which drug company profits climbed, in part due to federal legislation favorable to the industry. >>