Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

From Powerbase
Revision as of 11:39, 25 April 2006 by Hmu03753 (talk | contribs) (→‎Lobbying against Price Controls)
Jump to: navigation, search

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is a lobby group representing the interests of numerous pharmaceutical companies including the largest in the world such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck and AstraZeneca. It is active in lobbying at the American governmental level and internationally, particularly in Canada.

Background and Objectives

The PhRMA's headquarters are located in Washington DC where it maintains a staff of at least 20 lobbyists. Billy Tauzin a former member of the U.S House of Representatives was made President and CEO of the PhRMA in 2005. According to the 'mission statement' on the PhRMA website the organisation has 3 objectives -

  • To lobby for a "free market" in pharmaceutical products without price controls.
  • To lobby for strong "intellectual property incentives".
  • To lobby for transparent regulation and a free flow of information to patients. [1]

Lobbying against Price Controls

As mentioned above the PhRMA supports the removal of "price controls" on pharmaceutical products, however In reality this has little to do with any concept of a free market and competetive prices. PhRMCA has been the leading trade group in lobbying for the removal of government subsidies that keep the prices of certain prescription drugs "artificially" low in Canada. In addition (and despite advocating a free market) they have also led the way in lobbying against the parallel importation of prescription drugs into the United States from Canada - that is, the importing of drugs available in the U.S at a cheaper price from Canada where the prices of prescription drugs are lower. PhRMCA is therefore involved in both lobbying against the creation of "artificially low" prices for pharmaceutical products through the employment of government subsidies and lobbying for the maintenance of "artificially high" prices for pharmaceutical products in the U.S market by halting cheaper Canadian imports. [2]

Member Companies

Retrieved from "https://powerbase.info/index.php?title=Pharmaceutical_Research_and_Manufacturers_of_America&oldid=8255"