Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is scheduled to address one of the pharmaceutical industry's biggest lobbying groups and a handful of industry CEOs during a closed-door meeting Jan. 31, according to STAT News.
Mr. Romney will speak at the upcoming board meeting for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, which represents the nation's largest drug manufacturers. Sources familiar with the meeting told STAT the chief executives of Merck, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are also scheduled to attend Mr. Romney's 30-minute address.
STAT reports Mr. Romney's support could prove crucial for the pharmaceutical industry as the Trump administration and several Congressional representatives have pushed for more scrutiny of the industry and its pricing practices. Mr. Romney also holds a seat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which shares jurisdiction over healthcare legislation in the Senate with the Senate Finance Committee.
Mr. Romney received more than $700,000 in donations from drugmakers' political action committees and employees during his 2012 presidential campaign, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics cited by STAT.
Two lobbyists familiar with the Jan. 31 agenda told STAT the group plans to discuss its ongoing communications strategy and a number of potential policy proposals, but is not scheduled to vote on any of them.
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