Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Here's What Merck Lobbied On, In Q4 2022... Spending ~$2.49 Million (Less Than Pfizer, At $3.0 Million; But More Than Amgen's $2.14 Million)


In a near future installment, as ever, we will list what the other two spent their funds lobbying about. Tonight, though -- I am thinking more than just a bit about whether these massive cash flow generating machines, for now a half century or more. . . are paying their fair share, for the opportunities America offers them.

In this regard, I'd note especially that Amgen year in and year out, pays nearly no federal corporate income taxes (See Note 6 on page F-21), yet it just laid off 300 US workers on the commercial teams, last week (saying it cannot afford them, while being wildly profitable -- and immensely cash flow positive, for all its global shareholders, this year and next, to be certain). This is no company struggling under massive debt, nor facing dying markets. So. . . what's fair about that, I'd ask?

[We will have more on this, in the Pfizer installment (on patent chicanery), as well.] But here on a State of the Union night, tonight, albeit slightly delayed -- is what Merck lobbied about:

. . .H.R. 3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R. 19 Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021; H.R. 1550, PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2021; H.R. 2873, Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021; H.R. 3173, Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act of 2021; H.R. 3655, Vaccine Injury Compensation Modernization Act of 2021; H.R. 3932/S. 2079, Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2021; H.R. 4127, Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act of 2021; H.R. 5416, Give Kids a Chance Act; H.R. 5801, Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act; H.R. 6584, Diverse and Equitable Participation in Clinical Trials (DEPICT) Act; H.R. 6963, Accelerated Approval Integrity Act of 2022; H.R. 7559, Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2022; H.R. 7667, Food and Drug Amendments of 2022; S. 1435, Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2021; S. 1712, Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act of 2019; S. 2774, Pride in Patent Ownership Act; S. 2891, Restoring the America Invents Act; S. 2543 (116th Congress) Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019; S. 1895 (116th Congress) Lower Health Care Costs Act; S. 4348, Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements (FDASLA) Act of 2022; S. 4760, (116th Congress) The PASTEUR Act

Issues relating to: 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B policy; 340B issues; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Drug Pricing reforms -- international reference prices and government price setting; Anti-microbial Resistance; Vaccines; COVID-19 vaccines; COVID-19 therapeutics coverage issues; COVID-19 Pandemic response; Cost and value of medicines; Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunization; Vaccines catch up; Vaccine provisions; Vaccine Issues, including return to care access, and pandemic-related policy; Package inserts, labeling issues, and E-Labeling authorization legislation; Pharmaceutical Supply Channel issues; Prescription Drug User Fees Act (P.L. 102-571); Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), issues relating to drug pricing provisions; Animal Drug User Fee Act (P.L. 108-130); Prescription drug cost-sharing; Accelerated approval reform; Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements (FDASLA); Executive Order 13937, Access to Affordable Life-Saving Medications; FY-2023 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Intellectual property protection; WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement; Animal Health; Animal Health Technology Issues; One Health Issues; Rural Broadband Issues; General pharmaceutical issues; Farm Bill 2023; Animal Drug User Fee Act 2023; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. . . .

H.R. 3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, provisions related to Medicare Part B; H.R. 2716, Consolidated Appropriations Act; 2023 provisions relating to Medicare Part D emergency use authorization coverage; H.R. 5376, Build Back Better Act; S. 476 (116th Congress) Creating Transparency to Have Drug Rebates Unlocked (C-THRU) Act of 2019; S. 2543 (116th Congress) Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019

Issues relating to: Medicaid; Medicare; Medicare Part B and D drug pricing issues; Medicare Part D, Six Protected Classes; Prior authorization process under Medicare Advantage plans; 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B drug pricing program; Drug Pricing; Prior Authorization under Medicare Advantage Plans; FY-2023 Budget and Appropriations Legislation. . . .

H.R. 5376, Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, including provisions relating to budget reconciliation tax provisions

Issues related to: Tax reform and tax policy, generally; Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-97); Tax provisions of Budget Reconciliation. . . .


Now you know -- onward, smiling a sardonic smile, tonight.

नमस्ते

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