Josh Dawsey, Kristina Peterson and Maggie Severns
May 12, 2025
The pharmaceutical industry translated a wonky policy topic into a talking point repeated by a range of groups
When President Trump signed an executive order this month to try to reduce drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry scored a big win.
Within 90 days, the order said, Trump’s staff should put together a report “re-evaluating the role of middlemen,” who have been the target of one of the most sweeping and expensive lobbying campaigns in recent years.
Trump’s second term has upended the business of K Street, with many industries feeling left in the cold. An exception: the drug industry’s campaign against so-called middlemen, or pharmacy-benefit managers, such as those owned by CVS Health and UnitedHealth Group, which manage prescription-drug benefits for health insurers.
Drugmakers spent a record $31 million to lobby in Washington last year, and about $13 million in the first quarter of 2025, according to public filings. Millions more went to donations to political groups and ads, many of which blamed benefit managers for the high price of drugs.