If you want to know how nervous the pharmaceutical industry is about the prospect of new federal regulation of compounding pharmacies — like the one involved in last year’s lethal fungal meningitis outbreak — look to K Street.

Lobbyists roll up sleeves for compounding battle

OCTOBER 15, 2013

by dawnmarie

Lobbyists roll up sleeves for compounding battle

By ANDREA DRUSCH | 9/24/13 5:02 AM EDT

If you want to know how nervous the pharmaceutical industry is about the prospect of new federal regulation of compounding pharmacies — like the one involved in last year’s lethal fungal meningitis outbreak — look to K Street.

As lawmakers have introduced bills in the House and Senate to regulate these drug-making practices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and trade groups are ramping up their lobbying support for the battle to come.

In the past two months, at least 10 reports filed in the Senate’s lobbying database have named pharmacy compounding as an area of interest. Major players are signing on new help and shelling out big bucks to protect their interests in a policy debate that could seriously alter the way they do business.