Captains of Pharma Meet in DC; Begin "Charm Offensive" in Earnest!

Or, "We need first a seat at the table."
-- Fred Hassan,
CEO, Schering-Plough,
November 17, 2008

Now claiming that he wants to "play ball" with the reform-minded Congress and President-Elect, CEO Hassan is suddenly a "go-to guy" (or so he would have Reuters believe) -- even among Democrats. Per Reuters, overnight:

. . . .We need first a seat at the table," Schering Plough Corp Chief Executive Fred Hassan told the Reuters Health Summit in a telephone interview.

Big Pharma executives are meeting in Washington this week at a gathering of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations. Hassan, the group's current president, said the location was chosen in recognition of the coming political shifts. [Editor's Note: Hassan was re-elected yesterday, to another two year term as IFPhMA President.]

President-elect Barack Obama and fellow Democrats who expanded their majority in Congress vow to make an overhaul of the nation's health-care system a priority.

Democrats have attacked drug makers for high prices, excessive advertising and some manufacturers' handling of side effects.

The pharmaceutical industry, which long favored Republicans with political donations, has shifted contributions in recent years as Democrats gained more power in Washington. . . .

Except, of course, that Schering-Plough's PAC did not. [The Schering-Plough Better Goverment PAC money went about 11 to 1, in favor of Republican Committees -- and on the National Committee-arms level, from 2000 to 2008 (through July), it went about 17 to 1 Republican In 2008, though, the PAC gave equally, in Senate Races -- $15,000 to each of the Senate National Democratic, and Republican, committees. But that is not a shift in favor of Democrats, in any sense.]

But why quibble, right? Fred plainly has more important things on his mind: "I have personally been called by senior leaders on the Democrat side asking for advice and help, and that's a sign of the new industry versus the old industry," Hassan said.

Wait -- wasn't it just a few months ago that Mr. Hassan was complaining -- on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, no less, that FDA had effectively run amok -- that there was no way to know how to get an NDA approved at FDA, anymore? And, wasn't that -- in point of fact -- because his Sugammadex-candidate had been declared "non-approvable" and Hassan then felt FDA was treating Schering entirely too-shabbily (i.e., capriciously)? Yes. It was. Fast-Forward, here -- to today, now:

Ri-i-i-i-i-i-ght. Got that? Fred Hassan is the Democrats' touchstone on all matters Big Pharma. For his part, the more directly-candid and thus more-credible Dick Clark, CEO at Merck, has this to say: "I think we all have to contribute. I don't think it's fair to say that everyone else has to contribute and pharma doesn't. I think we all have to come up with the ways of helping. . . ."

I think that sentiment is exactly right (and more importantly, Kaiser Foundation CEO Halvorson, at right, does too) -- no one is asking Big Pharma to "talk Congress (or the President-Elect) off the ledge" of reform -- no, these latter two expect that Big Pharma will be willing to "give-up" some of the (perhaps unfair) advantage it presently holds. Pharma must now kick-in, and ante-up, in the more reality-based-eyes of Merck CEO Clark.

Think Medicare Part D negotiated-drug-prices -- for everyone, here. Think about no "gouge" pricing against the uninsured. Think along those lines, Mr. Hassan.

Then you'll actually be thinking the way incoming HHS Secretary Daschle does. Here endeth another sermon.