Medical device group spent $358,000 to lobby in 3Q

WASHINGTON (Lobbying Activist) — The medical device industry's chief advocacy group spent over $358,000 lobbying the federal government in the third quarter of 2010, according to a recent disclosure form.


The group's lobbying budget was down more than 40 percent from the prior-year period, when it spent over $610,000 to lobby during the negotiations over the Obama health care overhaul.


In the last quarter, AdvaMed, or the Advanced Medical Technology Association, lobbied on efforts in Congress to make it easier for patients to sue medical device companies via personal injury lawsuits.


Medical device companies are largely shielded from patient lawsuits at the state level by a Supreme Court decision that gave federal regulators the final say in declaring a device safe or unsafe. Democrats, backed by trial lawyers and patient groups, want to overturn that decision, which they say misinterprets the law.


AdvaMed has argued that overriding the decision would allow state courts to second-guess medical experts and create a "patchwork of inconsistent and confusing guidance."


The group, which represents manufacturers of pacemakers and other medical implants, also lobbied both Congress and the Food and Drug Administration on the system for approving certain medical devices. For over 30 years the FDA has granted speedy approval to devices that are similar to products already on the market. This so-called 510(k) process is cheaper and faster than the review process for first-of-a-kind devices, which must go through rigorous medical testing.


Some lawmakers and consumer advocates complain that the 510(k) system has been abused, allowing high-risk devices onto the market without proper review. AdvaMed officials have voiced concern that a safety backlash could make it harder to get new devices on the market in a cost-efficient manner.


AdvaMed, represents Medtronic Inc., Boston Scientific Corp., Abbott Laboratories and most other major device manufacturers. The group filed its quarterly lobbying report on Oct. 20.


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(source:bloomberg.com)