Will drug industry ads help politicians?

A drug industry campaign to support 28 national US politicians is underway in the closing stages of the 2008 general election campaign, at a cost of $13.0 million. Some of the Senators who have been the recipients of "thank you" advertisements from a group called America's Agenda: Health Care for Kids Inc, are not even up for re-election this year, but these tend to be prominent, including the Senate's Majority Leader, Harry Reid (Democrat, Nevada). The campaign messages make reference to the politicians' support for the expansion of the States Children's Health Insurance Program, which was vetoed by the soon-to-depart President George W Bush (Marketletters passim).

All but three of the chosen candidates are Democrats, with several reported to be in close contests, particularly in the House of Representatives, of which the Republicans lost control in the 2006 congressional elections.

Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which funds the campaign and has one of the three board members of the pro-SCHIP group, said: "the bottom line is we don't want kids to be our customers because they don't get the care that they need."