Q3 2014 Lobby Spend At Merck: $1.4075 Million -- Year To Date: $5.15 Million

Well, the pace is still running about one half of what it was last year.

But still a substantial amount -- with a great ROI, as the graphic at right would suggest. Almost no new matters on the lobbyists' agendas, for Whitehouse Station it would seem, this quarter -- except for a few new bills under consideration (bolded, below):

. . . .Alzheimer's education (no specific bill); 340B (no specific bill); National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act (H.R. 1074, S. 539); Diabetes Prevention & Treatment, including related provisions of HR 3322, The Eliminating Disparities in Diabetes Prevention, Access and Care Act of 2013 and HR 1074, The National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act; Hepatitis C education (no specific bill); adult vaccine policies (no specific bill); medication adherence (no specific bill); DISARM (H.R. 4187). . . .

Comprehensive tax reform (no specific bill); transfer pricing of intangibles (no specific bill); territorial tax system (no specific bill); deferral of taxation of foreign earned income (no specific bill); tax base erosion (no specific bill); R&D tax credit (no specific bill). . . .

Medicare Coverage and Reimbursement issues; Medicare access to DXA services, Medicare reimbursement for antimicrobial drugs, including related provisions in HR 4181, The Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms Act of 2014). . . .

MODDERN Cures Act of 2013 (H.R. 3116), Prescription Drug User Fee Act (general planning), 21st Century Cures (no specific bill), Strengthening Medicare Anti-Fraud Measures Act of 2013 (H.R. 2925), Big data (general education), Alzheimer's education (no specific bill), biosimilars (general education, no specific bill), general pharmaceutical industry issues and education. . . .

Trans-Pacific Partnership (no specific bill); biologic data exclusivity (no specific bill); trade promotion authority (no specific bill); treatment of intellectual property in India (no specific bill); Playing Fair on Trade and Innovation Act (HR 3167); additives in beef cattle (no specific bill); trade adjustment assistance (no specific bill); international trade barriers for beta-agonists (no specific bill). . . .

Deficit reduction (no specific bill); ADAP funding (no specific bill); omnibus appropriations; Patent reform (H.R. 3309, S. 1720 ); education on beta agonists (no specific bill). . . .

There you have it. Have a safe & fun pumpkin patch weekend, one and all! I know I will. . . .