Big Pharma apostó por Obama. Ganó?

The industry’s political generosity increased in the years leading up to Congress’ passage in 2003 of a prescription drug benefit in Medicare. Contributions from the industry declined in the 2004 cycle, however, following the elimination of unlimited “soft” money contributions to the national political parties. The pharmaceutical industry has traditionally supported Republican candidates.

But as Democrats have seized Congress and the White House in recent cycles, industry advocates have steadily become more generous toward traditional foes. These companies’ contributions split evenly during the 2008 cycle, after the GOP received two-thirds of drug company contributions in the run-up to the 2006 cycle.

The pharmaceutical industry in particular will likely fair better this decade now that President Barack Obama’s initial plan to institute a public health insurance did not become a part of sweeping health care reform legislation signed into law in 2010. A government-run plan, because of its size, would have had considerable negotiating power to draw down drug prices.
The industry’s policy goals include resisting government-run health care, ensuring a quicker approval process for drugs and products entering the market and strengthening intellectual property protections. Top 2008 contributor Pfizer Inc. supports efforts to protect pharmaceutical manufacturers by restricting the use of generic copies and the importation of cheaper drugs into the U.S.
Pharmaceutical companies are regularly defending themselves from complaints that prescription drugs cost too much, but recently the companies have had to contend with serious safety concerns relating to painkillers such as Vioxx. Merck, the drug’s manufacturer, is at the center of at least 27,000 personal injury lawsuits and 265 potential class-action lawsuits contending that the drug caused heart attacks and strokes in those who took it.
The controversy also has focused attention on the Food and Drug Administration, which is viewed by critics as being too close to the drug industry. In an effort to rebuild patient trust, the FDA created an independent Drug Safety Oversight Board in 2005. This development has proven positive for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry because it largely removes the burden of drug safety from the companies themselves and holds the board responsible for marketing a particular drug, lowering the manufacturer’s legal risk. 

    Seguirá el lobbying, seguro...

Contribution Trends, 1990-2012

Click sobre imágenes para ampliar

Acá la "apuesta" es Republicana.

Y en las dos Cámaras...

Con datos tomados de OpenSecrets/The Center for Responsive Politics

Ver también:
OBAMA: Tambien la industria votó por él...Pero los de arriba "arrimaban" a Mc Cain