Biogen spends $180K on 3Q Washington lobbying

Biotech drug maker Biogen Idec Inc. spent $180,000 lobbying the federal government in the third quarter, according to a recent disclosure form.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company lobbied on the issue of how generic drug companies would make cheaper versions of biotech drugs. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration only has a system in place for approving generic versions of chemical-based drugs. Biotech drugs are made using living cells and are more complex.

Both generic drug developers and biotech companies are at odds over how a new system would work, with the length of patent protection for biotech drugs a key sticking point.

Biogen also lobbied on legislation aimed at updating the U.S. patent system and dealing with government reimbursement rates for pharmaceuticals, according to the form posted online Oct. 16 by the House clerk's office.

Kathleen Weldon, formerly a staffer with the House Ways and Means Committee, and Adam Gluck, who previously worked for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, were among those lobbying on Biogen's behalf in the third quarter. (AP)