WASHINGTON — It’s no secret that the pharmaceutical industry has spent record-setting sums on lobbying in recent years. But much of that increase, according to a new report from a watchdog group here, is specific to the issue of drug pricing, which has taken hold as a top-tier policy issue on Capitol Hill.
The number of companies that cited “drug pricing” or variations on the phrase in disclosure documents has more than quadrupled in the last five years, according to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit focused on government ethics issues.
Twenty-two of the world’s 25 largest drug companies mentioned the term in lobbying disclosures in 2017, according to CREW — a group of companies that collectively spent $80 million on lobbying last year. The total number of companies that disclosed lobbying on drug pricing issues reached 153 in 2017.
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