Drug industry association gives millions, gains friends
Randy Barrett. November 14, 2017. Tarbell.org
This is part of Tarbell’s first series of stories. We won’t be able to tell more without your help.
Excerpts only. Complete article here.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the main trade association for the drug industry, wrote $14.3 million in checks in 2015 to a panoply of nonprofit think tanks, disease advocacy groups and charities.
The money is spread around liberally to win friends, to win influence, and to win the influencers to its side so that when legislation comes up in state capitals or in Congress, PhRMA can rely on this coalition to make the phone calls and write the emails that support the bills it wants to pass and oppose the ones it wants to kill.
Let’s take a closer look at this money trail.
PhRMA’s $14.3 million went to 303 organizations in 2015, according to the group’s most recent IRS 990 filing.
[. . .]
PhRMA’s beneficiaries ranged from groups that advocate for cures for specific diseases to universities to Washington D.C. think tanks to local civic organizations to political action committees that give money to candidates running for office.
[. . .]
The single largest check that PhRMA wrote was $758,495 to the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, a coalition of insurers, drug companies and employers. The organization has vigorously opposed the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2017, which would allow the government to negotiate with drug manufacturers to get lower prices on drugs for elderly patients using Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit.
[. . .]
PhRMA doesn’t give money to just conservative groups, or liberal groups, it gives to all. PhRMA’s strategy appears to be more shotgun than laser: Make as many friends as possible – everywhere.
On the conservative side, The Koch Brothers’-funded American Legislative Exchange Council received $149,900 from PhRMA.
[. . .]
Across the aisle, the Democratic Governor’s Association, which raises money for Democratic candidates in gubernatorial races, received $352,500 (The GOP equivalent received nearly the same amount). The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a group that advocates for LGBT issues, took in $37,000 and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, an organization of LGBT health care professionals got $15,000.
PhRMA also supports key ethnic groups. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which helps young African Americans seeking to enter government, received $20,000, the National Urban League, a civil rights group that advocates on behalf of African Americans who live in cities, took in $25,000, and the National Medical Association (comprised of African American doctors) got $65,000. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) received $10,000 and the National Hispanic Medical Association got $20,000. Even the National Italian American Foundation got some love: $12,500.
Groups that advocate for cures for specific diseases also are big beneficiaries of PhRMA largesse – $2 million in total in 2015. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation received $43,800, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association took in $66,020 and the Lupus Foundation of America got $108,500.
[. . .]
“I think of PhRMA as an octopus with many tentacles and at the end of each is a pile of cash,” Mitchell added. Their goal is to “chill and inhibit people from speaking out.”
Excerpts only. Complete article here.
