Tom Curb, R.Ph.

These days, when the pharmaceutical industry speaks, Americans may not be able to recognize its voice. That’s because it routinely uses "front groups" to advance drug manufacturers’ agendas. One recent front group is the Traditional Values Coalition, which describes itself as a Christian advocacy group that represents 43,000 churches fighting the importation of low-cost drugs. Media reports reveal that drug industry lobbyists played a key role in drafting its argument and providing information to lawmakers.

This drug industry ploy is nothing new – PhRMA – the industry’s influential lobbying group has long funded other organizations that have taken deceptive, friendly names in order to promote legislation for the drugmakers. The names are chosen to make it appear that the campaigns are driven by seniors – who spend the most on drugs – or in this particular case, Christian activists.

Although such organizations may claim to speak for "millions of older Americans", as late as 2001, many listed no revenue from membership dues on their tax returns, and it has been reported that an investigation by the AARP Bulletin shows that virtually all of their most recent contributions have come from the pharmaceutical industry. Although most also claim to be bipartisan, almost without exception they support the campaigns and causes of one political party.

Because of the extreme "scare" tactics employed by some front organizations, in the mid-1990s Senator David Pryor, Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, described them as "fright factories".

Several high-profile groups claiming to represent older Americans have been exposed in the media:

United Seniors Association calls itself an "influential and effective" advocacy organization for older Americans. One third ($10 million) of the reported $30 million the drug industry invested in the 2002 elections, is claimed to have been spent on its television ads under the name of this organization.

Citizens for Better Medicare sponsored a series of PhRMA-bankrolled ads featuring "Flo", an arthritic bowler who urged viewers to "keep the government out of our medicine cabinets." (CBM was the linchpin of the drug industry’s drive to deter a funded Medicare prescription benefit plan – a position that it rapidly reversed when lawmakers began to support drug importation and/or US price controls.)

The Seniors Coalition describes itself as an "advocacy organization that represents the interests and concerns of America’s senior citizens." Although a November 2002 news release claimed it was "supported by contributions from individual members – not corporations", the media reported that this organization’s financial records showed sizeable corporate contributions, and no dues-paying members.

The 60-Plus Association calls itself as "an advocacy group with a free enterprise, less government, less taxes approach to senior issues". However, it was reported that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc. paid a Washington-based firm hired by 60-Plus to promote its agenda in Minnesota and New Mexico.

Tactics that have been used by the drug industry’s front organizations to advance their agenda include television ads; special mailings with "loaded" questions used to generate deceptive poll results for influencing lawmakers; and direct mailings and newspaper ads directed at target groups – especially seniors. These tactics must be effective – or the drug industry would not be spending millions on them. About the only defense we consumers have is to "look" before we "leap" on a bandwagon – and try to make sure whose horse is pulling it.

Some information derived from:

Bill Hogan, Washington, D.C., July 2003

The Washington Post, July 2003