Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

PhRMA advocates for policies including prohibiting foreign competitors to pharmaceutical corporations and increasing regulations on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). PhRMA has previously supported policies set by both the first Trump administration and the second Trump administration, and it has also opposed specific policies such as lowering drug prices and new negotiating rules between the federal government and pharmaceutical corporations. ³

Members

As of June 2025, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) had 31 pharmaceutical company members, including Bayer, Biogen, Johnson and Johnson, Astra Zeneca, Lily, Gilead, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, and Pfizer. PhRMA is based in Washington, D.C. and has nine other offices in the U.S. and two offices in East Asia. ⁴

In 2017, PhRMA instituted new rules requiring members to invest a minimum amount into research and development. The new rules resulted in the expulsion of 22 members. According to Fierce Pharma, the new rules were likely implemented as a public relations maneuver to distance PhRMA from unpopular drug companies known to charge high prices. ⁵

In 2016, PhRMA deliberated over permitting drug company Teva Pharmaceuticals to become a member due to it being a generic drug manufacturer and disputes over intellectual property rights. Teva was later permitted to join, but left the group in 2023. According to analysis by Fierce Pharma, the split was allegedly due to disagreements with PhRMA over drug price negotiations with the federal government. ^{6 7}

In December 2022, Pharmaceutical corporation Abbvie decided not to renew its membership in PhRMA. According to Fierce Pharma, the departure was allegedly due to political differences with the rest of the PhRMA’s membership. ⁸

PhRMA does not disclose its membership fees. By 2017, PhRMA’s revenue had increased to $456 million and was roughly $600 million by 2021 before dropping to $568 million in 2022 and later $483 million in 2023. ^{9 10}

In 2002, PhRMA added a rule to their code of ethics prohibiting gifts from pharmaceutical companies to physicians that are unrelated to medical practices. ¹¹

Policies

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) claims its primary policy goal is encouraging “the uniquely American system that balances incentives for innovation with affordability.” It promotes the protection of intellectual property rights and market-oriented drug pricing as well as prevention of  “foreign free-riding” on American drug development. ¹²

PhRMA opposes pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that it claims act as “middlemen” between pharmaceutical companies and patients, seeking reduce their influence on specific points including drug pricing. ¹² In November 2024, PhRMA released a statement reacting to the 2024 presidential election by praising then-President-elect Donald Trump’s past efforts to “rein in PBM abuses and ensure more of the rebates they negotiate are passed on to patients at the pharmacy counter.” ¹³

PhRMA claims to oppose government-mandated or “negotiated” prices for prescription drugs. The group’s lobbyists have argued “In countries where governments do set the price, patients often have delayed access, if access at all.” PhRMA lobbied against President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill due to its prescription drug price controls. ¹⁴

PhRMA has argued for alternative means of lowering drug prices by reducing regulation, improving the efficacy and speed of the Food and Drug Administration, and promoting competition. Shortly after becoming president of PhRMA, Stephen Ubl advocated for encouraging “the government to speed the approval of generic drugs and approve more of them, reducing a backlog of generic drug applications.” ¹⁵

PhRMA opposed provisions in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act meant to decrease prescription medication costs by allowing Medicaid to negotiate drug prices. Along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies, PhRMA filed a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the Medicare Drug Negotiation Program. ¹⁶

PhRMA has opposed the 340B Drug Pricing Program, established in the 1990s, that requires pharmaceutical companies to provide outpatient drugs to particular entities (like clinics and safety-net hospitals) at discounted rates. In 2023, PhRMA announced the formation of ASAP 340B, a coalition of pharma companies and patient-services nonprofits advocating for changes to the program.  ¹⁷

PhRMA has also opposed the 340B Drug Pricing Program at the state-level through opposing provisions that permit health care providers to sell drugs through pharmacies at a discounted rate due to federal programs. In 2024, in Arkansas, PhRMA lost a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to block such a law. ¹⁸

PhRMA has opposed the removal of regulations that would permit pharmaceutical drugs from being imported internationally, while previously suing state governments to block importation plans at the state level. ¹⁹

PhRMA supports the “orphan drug” tax credit, or tax credits for companies that research the development of drugs for rare diseases impacting 200,000 or fewer individuals. ²⁰

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PhRMA successfully lobbied against the implementation of a federal Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver which would have temporarily circumvented some aspects of intellectual property rights law to reduce the prices of prescription drugs and promoted international access to a wider variety of drugs. ²¹

PhRMA has opposed legislative efforts to implement a single-payer government health care schemes at the state level, including opposing a Colorado state-level ballot proposal in 2016. ²²

Advocacy

Affordable Care Act

PhRMA was initially ambivalent toward the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but after negotiating with the Obama administration and receiving some influence over the bill, the group became an enthusiastic supporter. ^{22 23}

Trump Administrations

In March 2025, PhRMA released a statement supporting the second Trump administration’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would have new guidelines designed to speed up the regulatory process for building new pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States, claiming it was a “welcome step toward supporting the hundreds of billions of dollars in new U.S. investments.” ²⁴

In June 2025, PhRMA released a statement opposing President Donald Trump’s “Most Favored Nation” executive order to push pharmaceutical companies into reducing prescription drug costs in the U.S. In the statement, PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl claimed, “Importing foreign prices from socialist countries would be a bad deal for American patients and workers.” ^{25 26}

Lobbying

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is one of the largest funders of lobbying in the United States. As of June 2025, from 1998 through 2025, PhRMA spent $551,886,550 on lobbying, the fifth-most of any organization tracked by OpenSecrets. ²⁷

As of June 2025, PhRMA has spent almost $13 million on lobbying in 2025, the second-most of any organization behind the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ¹

From 2009 to 2024, PhRMA spent between $17.23 and $31.72 annually on lobbying. ¹

In June 2021, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) wrote a letter to PhRMA asking for information on the organization’s lobbying efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic designed to prevent the lowering of prescription drug prices through Medicare Part D. ²¹

Political Contributions

During the 2024 election cycle, 59 percent of PhRMA’s political donations were made to Republican candidates. During the 2022 election cycle, 61 percent of donations were made to Republicans. During the 2020 election cycle, 55 percent of donations were made to Republicans. ²⁸

PhRMA has been previously accused of being affiliated with “dark money.” PhRMA previously supported the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the Obama administration and had allegedly been involved with drafting the bill. Following Republican-led efforts to attempt to repeal the ACA, PhRMA claimed to be neutral while donating to right-of-center groups and campaigns in 2017 such as $6 million to the American Action Network (AAN) towards developing an anti-ACA television ad campaign as well as donating to Americans for Tax Reform. ²³

According to anti-lobbying group Issue One, PhRMA contributed more than $34.5 million to the AAN from 2010 to 2023 through dark money donations. ²⁹

Patient-Group Funding

PhRMA has previously donated to patient-group organizations, including the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association, the American Lung Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Lupus Foundation of America. ²²

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In 2024, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) helped fund Equitable Breakthroughs in Medicine Development, a program designed to encourage racial minorities to participate in clinical trials. ^{30 31}

Several employees with PhRMA signed the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion Pledge to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in their workplaces. ³²

Leadership

Stephen Ubl is the president and CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), serving in the role since  2015. He previously worked as the president and CEO of AdvaMed as well as the president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association. ^{33 15} In 2023, Ubl earned a salary of $5,053,582. ⁹

Lori Reilly is the chief operating officer of PhRMA and has worked within several positions in the organization since 2000. Reilly previously served as counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and worked for former U.S. Rep. Jon Christensen (R-NE). ³⁴ In 2023, Reilly earned a salary of $2,233,732. ⁹

Elizabeth Carpenter is the executive vice president of policy and research at PhRMA. She previously spent ten years at Avalere Health and worked as an associate policy director at the New America Foundation. Prior to this, Carpenter was a legislative assistant for Governor Lincoln Chafee (D-RI). ³⁵ In 2023, Carpenter earned a salary of $440,346. ⁹

Renuka Iyer has worked as the chief people and culture officer of PhRMA since October 2022. Iyer oversees the implementation of PhRMA’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies. Iyer previously worked at the World Resources Institute as the chief human resources officer from 2017 to 2022. ³⁶ In 2023, Iyer earned a salary of $397,692. ⁹

Kyle Gano has been a board member of PhRMA since October 2024. He previously was the chief business development and strategy officer of PhRMA since 2020 and chief business development officer since 2011. GANO is the CEO of Neurocrine Biosciences, a company for which he has worked since 2001. ³⁷