Growing Advertising Model Puts Reporters and Lawmakers at the Center of the Corporate Pitch
12th October 2021
The news site Axios in July hosted an event with Rep. Kurt Schrader (D., Ore.), a member of a House subcommittee on health and the sponsor of legislation that would provide federal funding that allows companies to sell knockoff drugs virtually identical to those that originated with their competitors.
The event was sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Viatris, which spent $3.6 million lobbying in favor of the drugs, known as biosimilars, and has contributed to Schrader’s campaigns.
The Axios event—”A Conversation on biosimilars and drug development”—featured the organization’s reporters, who touted biosimilars as an innovative approach to “lowering the cost of treatment in the U.S.,” alongside Schrader, who lauded pharmaceutical companies for their willingness to “be part of the solution.” The event was followed by a tweet from Axios‘s account, which boasts nearly 600,000 followers, that broadcast Schrader’s support for biosimilars and noted the Viatris sponsorship.
The best Congressmen that money can buy.