The drug industry's top lobbying group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, spent a record $29 million to lobby Congress in 2019, The Hill reported.
The number represents a 5 percent increase over 2018, making it the most the powerful group has ever spent on lobbying in a single year.
In a win for the drug industry, Congress didn't pass any legislation in 2019 that would have a meaningful effect on drug prices for consumers.
However, despite PhRMA lobbying, the Trump administration said it does plan to finalize a rule this year to allow some states to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and bring U.S. drug prices in line with what other countries pay, according to The Hill.
In a major setback for the industry last year, President Donald Trump took out a provision in the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that would have given drugmakers 10 years of protection from generic competition.
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