Despite the slumping economy, the US pharmaceutical and health products industry spent a whopping $267 million in 2009 on lobbying efforts—more in one year than any other single industry ever. Steven Findlay, a health policy analyst for Consumers Union in Washington, DC, says that most of this extra expenditure—12% more than the previous year—stemmed from the beleaguered health care reform bill. “All of these companies stood to gain or lose billions of dollars,” he says. “That lobbying started early, and it was intense.” Here's a list of all the organizations, including their subsidiaries, that dished out more than $5 million in 2009, according to data from the Senate Office of Public Records, to gain access to Washington's power centers and halls of influence.

aincluding Wyeth, bincluding Genentech Source: Center for Responsive Politics