Drug Lobbying Still Number One

American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) is lobbying on your behalf EVERY DAY right here in our nation’s capitol. And because your voice is so crucial to our efforts, we are constantly looking for ways for decision makers to hear your concerns.

A new report from Center for Public Integrity (CPI) shows what we’re up against on Capitol Hill. In 2007, industries and special interests spent $17 million for every day Congress was in session (the drug industry spent the most of all).

The CPI analysis of federal lobbying data details that pharmaceutical industry spent $168 million in their lobbying efforts in 2007.

The spending represents a 32 percent jump over 2006. Driven in part by a busy legislative calendar dominated by issues critical to the industry, the effort raised the amount spent by drug interests on federal lobbying in the past decade to more than $1 billion.

The trade association for pharmaceutical manufacturers (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) was the largest spender at $22.7 million. Biomedical firm Amgen ($16.2 million) and pharmaceutical company Pfizer ($13.8 million) rounded out the top 3. Other big spenders last year included Roche Holding AG ($9 million), Sanofi-Aventis ($8.4 million), GlaxoSmithKline ($8.2 million), Johnson & Johnson Inc. ($7.7 million) and the trade group Biotechnology Industry Organization ($7.2 million).

In 1992, the pharmaceutical industry employed 675 lobbyists, now there are currently 1,274 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C. lobbying for Big Pharma.

Too often, the health freedom community finds itself up against Big Pharma and though we’re out spent in lobbying, advertising, and in other resources; we’re not outnumbered! Your involvement is crucial to us truly achieving health freedom. Each time you take action on an alert, share our news and alerts with friends and family, or financially support AAHF, you are promoting health freedom.

Click here for the full CPI article.