WASHINGTON — Drug makers spent $155 million lobbying the federal government from 2005 to mid-2006, setting a record that they could top this year as Congress considers high stakes legislation for the industry and consumers, a public interest group said in a report Monday.
Researchers at the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity said that the drug industry spent nearly $111 million on lobbying in 2005, a record for the sector in any one year. The record pace appeared to be sustained in the first half of 2006, the report said.
Pharmaceutical industry officials said the report distorted the industry's role in Washington, which they say is primarily educational and scientific. They said industry spending was designed to ensure that new drugs for intractable illnesses get government approval to be marketed.
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