Bottom Line

HEALTHCARE. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the world’s largest manufacturer of generic drugs, hired a bipartisan roster of lobbyists at Kountoupes Denham to work on “[Food and Drug Administration] and healthcare policy.” The company has a new CEO after its former chief executive was forced to step down last month. Teva had a less-than-stellar 2016, with pricey acquisitions and delays in drug releases contributing to a 72 percent decline in the company’s stock price. Teva has four other firms on retainer, including one run by former Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) and another run by a former top aide to former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). 

FOREIGN AFFAIRS. The government of Azerbaijan hired BGR Group to provide lobbying and government relations services to “strengthen relations between the U.S. and Azerbaijan,” according to contract documents filed with the Justice Department. The country is paying $50,000 per month to the firm for a contract lasting until the end of December. The oil-rich country also has Podesta Group on retainer under a contract worth $45,000 per month. 

{mosads}EDUCATION. The College of William and Mary hired Downs Government Affairs to help the university obtain “funding for sea level rise and recurrent flooding resiliency research and development.” It’s the first outside firm hired by the school, located in Virginia, which spends about $118,000 per year on lobbying.

MARIJUANA. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is now working for the New Federalism Fund, an organization that wants to work with Congress “to ensure that lawmakers understand the benefits of the legal, locally regulated cannabis industry.” One of the Denver-based group’s top issues is working to change federal tax law to allow businesses in the cannabis industry to claim business-related tax deductions if they are operating in a state or locality where marijuana is legal. “The regulated cannabis industry also checks IDs and removes marijuana from the criminal market, delivering a significant blow to drug cartels and illegal drug dealers,” the New Federalism Fund states on its website. “Legal businesses should not be treated like criminal enterprises.”