[Pharmwaste] FW: PhRMA Spending $100 million on PR Campaign Instead of Real Take-Back Programs to Improve their Image

[Heidi Sanborn]

Can you imagine how much medicine could be safely disposed and they could brand the bins and be the heroes for $100 million?  They raised fees 50% on members to do a PR campaign instead of the right thing and pay for a take back program.  This makes me want to fight even harder to make them pay.
Heidi
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http://fortune.com/2017/01/24/phrma-go-boldly-pr-campaign/
The justification for the campaign is clear: For more than a year, politicians seeking the presidency have been slamming the likes of Martin Shkreli and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (vrx)<http://fortune.com/company/vrx> for outrageous price hikes on old and niche drugs. And while drug makers originally thought that President Donald Trump would be a far more enthusiastic partner, he said that drug makers<http://fortune.com/2017/01/13/trump-drug-prices-death-panels/> are "getting away with murder" during his first major post-New Year press conference. Trump went on to insist that his administration will chase direct negotiations and bidding in Medicare as a way to keep drug prices in check - a policy that PhRMA vehemently opposes.
During an appearance on CNBC<http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000586636> Monday, Ubl said that there was too much focus on people in "hoodies" (a reference to Shkreli's irreverent and nonchalant style) and not enough on those "in lab coats" who are developing life-saving therapies.
PhRMA has been preparing this PR onslaught for a while, too. Right before the presidential election, the group hiked its membership dues<http://fortune.com/2016/10/26/brainstorm-health-daily-10-26/> by 50%, helping it raise another $100 million per year to be funneled into pro-pharma campaigns. The lobbying outfit also successfully defeated one of the most high-profile drug price cap referenda in the country in California's Proposition 61. The measure failed handily<http://fortune.com/2016/10/26/brainstorm-health-daily-10-26/> in a deep blue state despite initially polling well thanks, in large part, to the pharmaceutical industry's $110 million spending spree to defeat it.
Whether the latest campaign will be as successful is still an open question. Trump has already said that drug price bidding will become a reality despite drug makers' considerable political and financial clout; but Congress may not be nearly as eager as the new president, especially in the wake of this upcoming lobbying blitz.

Heidi Sanborn | Executive Director
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                      heidi at calpsc.org<mailto:heidi at calpsc.org>

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