Too tired to write much, but want to share this story: Drug Lobby Second to None. The Center for Public Integrity today shared findings from its study on the drug industry’s lobbying efforts. The first paragraph of the press release sums up the findings well:
“The pharmaceutical and health products industry has spent more than $800 million in federal lobbying and campaign donations at the federal and state levels in the past seven years, a Center for Public Integrity investigation has found. Its lobbying operation, on which it reports spending more than $675 million, is the biggest in the nation. No other industry has spent more money to sway public policy in that period. Its combined political outlays on lobbying and campaign contributions is topped only by the insurance industry.”