PhRMA, once invincible in Washington, has lost its edge

Nov. 29, 2022

Mike Reddy for STAT

WASHINGTON — PhRMA has a reputation in Washington for might, for money, for scorched-earth tactics, and for fighting even the tiniest of policy changes.

The pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying arm raised hell, for example, when lawmakers asked it to cover a slightly larger share of seniors’ drug costs. It spent years refusing to concede even minimal tweaks to an obscure bill related to generic competition.

Over the last year, however, something changed. PhRMA, once a titanic lobbying powerhouse, lost its edge.

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About the Author

Rachel Cohrs

Washington Correspondent

Rachel Cohrs reports on the intersection of health policy and business in Washington. She covers Capitol Hill, lobbying, and federal agencies. Her primary areas of focus are the pharmaceutical and hospital industries. She is also the co-author of the free, twice-weekly D.C. Diagnosis newsletter.

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