Pharma companies turn to Trump-connected firms for FDA lobbying

Pharmaceutical giants, seeing a wave of new risks and potential rewards in President Trump’s second term, are boosting their spending on lobbying firms with connections to the White House.

Three firms — Checkmate Government Relations, Miller Strategies, and Ballard Partners — stand out. Each of the three, which were identified by lobbyists working for other firms as growing players in the space, saw a boom in business in the first year of Trump’s second term. Most of the 16 companies that have signed drug pricing deals with the White House have contracted with one of the firms.