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Wyeth Spent $876K In 1Q Lobbying On Health Issues

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wyeth, which makes the popular antidepressant Effexor and the blockbuster children's vaccine Prevnar, spent $876,339 in the first quarter lobbying on health care reform and dozens of other issues, according to a recent disclosure form.

That was about 26 percent more than the company spent on lobbying in the first quarter of 2008.

Madison, N.J.-based Wyeth lobbied on several aspects of health care reform, including bills that could limit the prices the government pays for medications, as well as public disclosure of drugmaker payments to doctors. It lobbied on drug advertising rules and legislation to modernize the Food and Drug Administration.

The company lobbied on pre-emption, the Bush-era argument that approval of a product — in this case a medication or device approved by the FDA — barred users from suing the maker for any defects or harm they suffered. In a closely watched case, the U.S. Supreme Court in March upheld a $6.7 million jury award to a Vermont professional musician who lost her arm to gangrene following an injection of a Wyeth anti-nausea drug, Phenergan.

Wyeth also lobbied on bills affecting funding involving some of its key drugs, including childhood vaccines and hormone replacement medicines, which include its popular Premarin and Prempro. The maker of Centrum vitamins also lobbied on dietary supplement issues.

Wyeth lobbied on U.S. participation in international health programs, global public health issues and on domestic and international vaccine issues. The company's Prevnar vaccine against seven pneumococcal diseases brought in about $2.7 billion last year, and Wyeth is seeking U.S. approval to sell a version that blocks 13 diseases.

The company also lobbied on the importance of protecting pharmaceutical patents in trade agreements, and against efforts to allow cheaper prescription medicines to be imported from foreign countries. Proponents say foreign competition would help drive down U.S. drug prices; the pharmaceutical industry warns that could expose Americans to counterfeit medications.

Wyeth also lobbied for an extension of a tax credit designed to reward companies for investing in research and development, and on taxes paid by international operations of American corporations, according to the form filed April 22 with the House clerk's office.

The company also lobbied on bills that would allow generic drug companies to sell cheaper copies of biotech drugs — which could compete with its $3.8 billion-a-year rheumatoid arthritis treatment, Enbrel. Unlike traditional chemical-based drugs, biotech drugs have never faced generic competition because the FDA lacks authority to approve the cheaper copies of them. The issue is getting traction in Congress now.

Besides Congress in the January-March period, Wyeth lobbied the White House, FDA, U.S. Trade Representative, National Security Council, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the departments of State, Justice, Treasury and Health and Human Services.