PhRMA picks up healthcare expert from Hogan

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has snagged Hogan Lovells lobbyist Chuck Clapton to work in its own lobby shop. 

He will begin as the senior vice president of federal advocacy at the pharmaceutical trade group on March 17, leaving the top-earning K Street firm after just more than a year.

Clapton will lead PhRMA’s efforts to influence policymakers, while “working with a wide array of stakeholders to develop and advocate for health policies that foster innovation and ensure patient access to new medicines in the U.S. and around the world,” the group said in a release.

The group spent more than $17.7 million to lobby the government last year, according to disclosure forms filed with the Senate. In addition to working on health policy, Medicare Part D issues, prescription drug abuse and ObamaCare implementation, PhRMA lists weighing in on the pending trade deals, intellectual property issues and the budget.

{mosads}“Chuck’s experience, reputation, and results-oriented focus during his distinguished career on Capitol Hill will be tremendous assets to PhRMA and its members,” said Chip Davis, the pharmaceutical group’s executive vice president of advocacy and member relations, in a release.

He was the main adviser to Republicans on health issues within the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee during critical debates over healthcare reform, from 2008 to 2013.

The head of PhRMA, John Castellani, on Tuesday called Clapton a “dynamic advocate.”

“Chuck is … an expert on the policy issues facing the biopharmaceutical sector and the patients we serve,” he said in a statement.

Overall, he spent more than 10 years working on Capitol Hill – including serving as the chief health counsel for House Ways and Means Committee Republicans, where he worked on legislation that created the Medicare Part D program. Before that, he served as a healthcare adviser to former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.).