Pharmaceutical Lobbying: By the Numbers

Why Pharma Spends More Than Anyone

Healthcare regulation directly impacts pharmaceutical company revenues in ways few other industries experience. Drug pricing legislation, FDA approval processes, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement rates, patent protections, and import regulations all have multi-billion-dollar implications for drug makers.

The Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the industry's main trade association, alone spends over $27 million annually on lobbying — making it one of the single biggest lobbying entities in the entire country. But PhRMA is just the tip of the iceberg.

Top Pharmaceutical Lobbying Spenders

What Pharma Lobbies On

Using the LDA issue code system, pharmaceutical lobbying filings primarily fall under:

• PHA (Pharmacy): Drug pricing, prescription costs, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)
• HCR (Healthcare): Medicare, Medicaid, ACA provisions, insurance coverage requirements
• BUD (Budget/Appropriations): NIH funding, FDA budget, research grants
• MED (Medical Research): Clinical trials, rare diseases, research funding
• TRD (Trade): Drug importation, international trade agreements, IP protections

The Drug Pricing Battle

The single biggest lobbying issue for pharmaceutical companies has been drug pricing reform. When Congress considers legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, cap insulin costs, or enable drug importation from Canada, pharmaceutical lobbying spending surges dramatically.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which allowed Medicare to negotiate prices on some drugs for the first time, triggered one of the most intense lobbying campaigns in recent history. Our data shows significant spending spikes in the quarters surrounding the bill's passage.

Pharma's Revolving Door

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the heaviest users of the revolving door. Former FDA officials, HHS staffers, and congressional health committee aides frequently move to lobbying roles at drug companies and trade associations. Our data tracks these movements across the industry — see the full revolving door analysis.

Explore the Data Yourself

All of the data behind this analysis is available on OpenLobby. Search for any pharmaceutical company, view their lobbying filings quarter by quarter, see which lobbyists work for them, and track their spending over time.