Pharmaceutical Companies Contribute $231,000 in 2002 Elections;
Bills to Save State Medical Dollars Languish in Committee

Drug manufacturers nearly doubled their giving to legislative candidates in 2002, going from $89,675 in 2000 to at least $174,828* in 2002. Prescription drug companies contributions to the leadership PACs that work to elect Republican and Democrat legislators also doubled from $28,045 in 2000 to $56,000 during the 2002 election cycle.

Pharmaceutical interests spend even more money is on lobbying. During 2001 and 2002 lobbying expenditures came to $1,092,806. It will be months before the 2003 spending by lobbyist employers is known since those figures are only disclosed once a year in January.

Meanwhile, legislation designed to lower prescription drug costs is stalled in committee.

Consumer groups are pushing legislation to help control the costs of prescription drugs and contain health care insurance premium increases that threaten to spiral out of control. Following U.S. Supreme Court approval of a similar program in Maine, Oregon groups hope to create a state purchasing pool for prescription drugs.

"Health care is becoming harder for businesses to provide for their employees and individuals to provide for themselves and their families. Nearly half of the increase in insurance premiums can be traced to prescription drug costs," said RuthAlice Anderson, president of Oregon Action, a consumer group with chapters in Portland and Rogue Valley.

"There is mounting evidence that advertising, rather than good medical practice, is driving demand for designer drugs. The state picks up the tab when the uninsured become ill. It's in our best interest to use the state's purchasing power to bring down the costs of prescription drugs," continued Anderson.

Related legislation would force drug companies to disclose gifts to health care professionals. Pharmacy benefit managers --the companies or individuals who negotiate drug purchases for hospitals, insurance companies, governments and pharmacies--would be regulated. Both bills would contain the costs of prescription drugs.

"The pharmaceutical industry evidently felt that their political spending in 2000 paid off. They were successful in reducing the strength of a price formulary that passed in the final days of the 2001 regular session. They knew that spiraling health-care costs would lead consumer-groups to push for cost-containment measures, and responded by doubling the dollars they gave to legislators and to leadership PACs. It is a sad comment on our democratic process if this sector's political spending stops discussion of cost saving ideas this session." summarizes Janice Thompson, executive director of Money in Politics Research Action Project.

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* This 2002 figure could increase because it is based on analysis of 95% of legislative contributions.