PhRMA To Spend $1 Million

The PhRMA industry plans to spend a large sum of money lobbying Oregon lawmakers. It’s an effort to kill a drug pricing proposal that would be the most aggressive in the nation. Industry trade group PhRMA reported spending more than $790,000 on lobbying in Oregon during the first quarter of the year, more than four times as much as any other entity.

PhRMA group has seven registered lobbyists working in the state, including former state representative Jodi Hack. Two years ago, PhRMA spent $106,697 lobbying Oregon lawmakers in the same three-month period. Oregon’s legislative session continues through June.

The possibility that Oregon could create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board empowered to set upper limits on how much individual and insurance group buyers could pay for the most expensive drugs has attracted national political spending for and against the proposal, The Oregonian news reported that Lobby spending disclosures provide a better picture of the scale of the spending.

Senate Bill 844, sponsored by three Democratic lawmakers and one Republican, is currently in the Ways and Means Committee awaiting a hearing. A coalition of health insurance and health care companies, public employee unions, AARP Oregon and OSPIRG that supports Senate Bill 844 reported spending just $7,247 on that effort in the first quarter.

Jasmine Gossett, PhRMA public affairs director said most of the trade group’s reported spending was on advertising, which includes ads urging people to contact lawmakers and express opposition to the bill.The teachers union Oregon Education Association reported spending the second-highest amount on persuading Oregon lawmakers in the first quarter at $172,007.