Drug Lobby Quietly Spent Heavily Ahead of 2016 Election

The nation’s largest pharmaceutical trade group funneled more money to political and policy organizations that worked on its behalf than it did on conventional lobbyists during the 2016 election year, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis of tax disclosure forms.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the largest lobbying arm for drugmakers, gave nearly $25 million to political and policy organizations around the 2016 election. The group gave more than $6 million to conservative groups like the American Action Network that called for the repeal of Obamacare and more than $1 million each to two groups that advocated for ...