Bottom Line: PhRMA fights patent waiver expansion for COVID treatments

Pharmaceuticals

​Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) hired Altrius Group to lobby on a proposal to expand the World Trade Organization waiver on certain intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines to include additional COVID-19 treatments.

The pharmaceutical industry trade group called the proposed waiver expansion “harmful and unnecessary,” saying it could threaten innovation, jobs and pandemic preparedness by discouraging investment in the development of new technologies. William Morley, founder of Altrius Group and former general counsel to former Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), will work on the account.

Novo Nordisk hired Subject Matter to lobby on issues related to obesity. The pharmaceutical company developed an oral version of its Ozempic and Wegovy injections, which are increasingly used to support weight loss. Bill Ghent, former chief of staff for Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), will work on the account.

Credit cards

The ​Electronic Payments Coalition (EPC) hired Effective Advocacy Consulting LLC to lobby on a range of issues including the Credit Card Competition Act, a bill that would require financial institutions with over $100 billion in assets to offer merchants more network options to process credit card transactions. Visa and Mastercard, which control over 80 percent of the credit card network market in the U.S., are members of the coalition opposing the bill. EPC Executive Director Aaron Stetter, who joined the coalition in May and registered to lobby on its behalf in the new filing, incorporated Effective Advocacy Consulting on June 1.

Food

Walmart hired FGS Global, formerly FGH Holdings, to lobby on food and agriculture issues and the Farm Bill. Jacqlyn Schneider, former deputy staff director for the Senate Agriculture Committee for Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), will work on the account.

Private equity

The American Investment Council, formerly the Private Equity Growth Capital Council, hired Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC to lobby on legislation impacting private equity regulations and the industry’s role in healthcare. Elizabeth Murray, who worked as the senior policy advisor on health care for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) during his tenure as Democratic Whip, will work on the account.

​Air carriers

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld hired Patino Brewster & Partners on behalf of Aerojet Rocketdyne to provide strategic consulting regarding the Open Skies Agreement and Fly America Act. James Brewster, former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, will work on the account.