How pharma outfoxed its foes in D.C.

Despite bipartisan support, bicameral effort, and biting commentary from the White House, Washington’s attempts to rein in drug pricing have thus far come to naught. And that’s a testament to the undiminished power the pharmaceutical industry wields in the capitol.

As STAT’s Nicholas Florko and Lev Facher report, drug companies and their fleets of lobbyists worked behind the scenes to spike legislation, water down bills, and get lawmakers to about-face on drug pricing, scuttling policy changes while voters clamor for cheaper medicine.

“They have an incredible power to squash out any negative opinion, not to feel any of the ill effects of those things,” said Pallavi Damani Kumar, an American University crisis communications professor. “It just speaks to how incredibly savvy they are.”

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