Five Medical Device Firms that Spent the Most in Lobbying in 2012

Which firms spent the most money in lobbying Congress in 2012?

April 2, 2013

2 Min Read
Five Medical Device Firms that Spent the Most in Lobbying in 2012

The New York Times has a scathing op-ed on how device firms are launching a well-financed effort to undo the medical device tax that is expected to generate nearly $30 billion over 10 years.

It speaks to how liberal senators - the likes of Al Franken of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts - have been

roped in to vote for a non-binding, bipartisan amendment that called for the repeal of the device tax. The article accuses the device industry of pumping dollars into political fundraisers in the hope of influencing them to help get that cow back in the barn. 

That raises the question of who were the biggest lobbyists of the medical device world in 2012. The top five are:

  1. Medtronic - $4.9 million

  2. Baxter International - $2.6 million

  3. AdvaMed - $1.47 million

  4. Boston Scientific - $1.46

  5. Edwards Lifesciences - $1.15 million

Here is the full list of device firm lobbying expenses in 2012 courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics. The industry spent $28.9 million last year. 

Medtronic's lobbying expenditure was largely flat year over year with the Minnesota device maker spending $4.89 million in 2011 while Baxter spent $2.4 million. In 2011, Boston Scientific spent $1.6 million while AdvaMed pumped in close to $1.5 million in 2011. Edwards Lifesciences spent $1.09 million in 2011.

-- By Arundhati Parmar, Senior Editor, MD+DI

Sensing the Winds Shifting, Medtronic Applauds Efforts to Repeal the Device Tax

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