While a large portion of the biopharma industry prepares for a battle over medication prices, Bayer is getting ready for a different lobbying push of its own.
A disclosure form reveals that Bayer has hired a team of lobbyists to advocate access to contraceptives in the United States as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Williams & Jensen was recruited by the company to focus on problems connected to contraceptives as well as prescription costs, Medicare coverage rules, and other things.
According to Politico, which used Bayer’s own analysis of disclosure forms going back to 1999, this is the first time the company has engaged lobbyists to promote access to contraceptives.
With Mirena, Skyla, and Kyleena, Bayer produces three of the most well-liked intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, which raised concerns about birth control access nationwide, birth control and access to contraception have received considerable attention.
The Senate Republicans vetoed legislation that the House had passed last month that would have regulated the right to obtain contraception. The Biden administration responded by publishing instructions, advising health insurers that they must provide free coverage for all FDA-approved birth control methods under federal law.
Regarding Bayer, its advocacy work continues a trend that supports access to contraceptives. In order to ensure that 100 million women and girls in low- and middle-income nations have contraceptive access by 2030, the company promised $464 million in pledges last October to increase manufacturing capacity.
In Costa Rica, the business intends to build a state-of-the-art facility that will concentrate on long-acting reversible contraception, a popular technique of birth control that includes IUDs and contraceptive implants. The factory should be operational by 2024, according to the company.
And in June of last year, the business aimed to increase the production of contraceptives in Turku, Finland, the contraceptive capital of the world. The company invested $303 million at the time in a new manufacturing facility there.
