Part Two, of the likely five part series on Q1 2024 Lobby-Spend trends, now appears for “Fourth Be With You” day….

Lilly has worked diligently since about mid-2021, to lobby Congress to preserve its right to price the later-gen insulin products (and very aggressively — on the weight loss ones). . . in any manner it likes, in the US. Some of that has succeeded — some hasn’t. And true enough, all the majors spend less during a presidential election year, as Congress is not likely to move major new initiatives, on either side of the coin during 2024.

Even so, Lilly (and to a lesser degree, Merck) are spending far less than would have been expected, here in Q1 2024. [We gave you some granularity on Rahway on Wednesday, here.] This is what Lilly was working to bend Congressional ears on:

…Issues related to intellectual property protection and market access within current trade negotiations. Canada IP; USMCA implementation; Mexico patent linkage; Special 301; Trade talks: US-Japan, US-China, US-EU, US-UK, US-India, and US-Brazil….

Patient protection; Pharmaceutical supply chain issues and shortages; Drug pricing, coverage, value and access; Transparency; Intellectual property; Health insurance accessibility; Implementation of the “Inflation Reduction Act” (HR.5376); Prescription drug approval; Affordable Insulin Now Act (S.954/HR.1488), The INSULIN Act; Policy matters related to Artificial Intelligence in health care….

Intellectual property; 340B Program; Medicare & Medicaid prescription drug reimbursement, coverage and value; Implementation of the “Inflation Reduction Act” (HR.5376); CMS National Coverage Determination on Alzheimer’s disease; The INSULIN Act….

Multi-lateral threats to IP and the biopharmaceutical industry; Drug importation; Prescription drug value and access….

Pharmaceutical intellectual property issues….

Implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; Domestic manufacturing tax incentives; Expensing of research and development costs; Global minimum tax; Pension and retirement benefit issues….

Hospital discounts; 340B program….

Now you know — but clearly patent evergreening is top of mind, for insulin products at Lilly, in Carmel, Indiana. Smile — now let’s see that Japanese champ come in No. One, or No. Two — as an exacta box, with Fierceness? Forever Young!

नमस्ते