Why It Matters

EMD Serono faces a fundamental challenge: the biopharmaceutical industry’s pricing model is under sustained attack from Congress, the Trump administration, and federal regulators.

PBM reform, 340B program restructuring, and MFN pricing agreements all threaten to compress margins on specialty drugs—EMD Serono’s primary portfolio focus. Meanwhile, narrowed patent eligibility for biotech inventions could accelerate biosimilar competition against the company’s most valuable franchises like MS treatments and fertility products.

EMD Serono’s strategy appears two-pronged: lobby to shape PBM and 340B reforms in ways that minimize revenue loss, while simultaneously fighting to restore broader patent protections that extend exclusivity windows. Major peers like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. are simultaneously lobbying on identical issues, indicating this is an industry-wide defensive effort.

By the Numbers

EMD Serono Inc. spent $700,000 on in-house federal lobbying in Q3 2025, managed by a five-person internal team. The company is a longstanding lobbying player with 77 disclosure reports filed since 2003, reflecting over two decades of continuous federal advocacy engagement.

The five-member lobbying roster combines deep institutional knowledge with direct legislative experience. David Colin Nichols leads as the team’s longest-tenured member with 37 disclosures spanning 2007-2025. Thomas J. Borck Jr. provides the most direct congressional experience—7 years and 4 months—including service as Policy Director for the Senate Budget Committee and Deputy Chief of Staff/Legislative Director for Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN-4).

EMD Serono’s advocacy has remained consistent with current priorities across its two-decade lobbying tenure, focusing on patent protection and innovation policy, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, drug pricing transparency, and veterans’ infertility access—reflecting the company’s specialty portfolio in neurology, oncology, and fertility treatments.

The Agenda

EMD Serono Inc. is lobbying on specific pharmaceutical industry issues with clear legislative targets. The company is actively engaged on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, particularly targeting the H.R. 4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025 and the S. 882: Patients Before Middlemen Act. The company is also heavily focused on the 340B drug pricing program, lobbying on the H.R. 5256: 340B ACCESS Act.

Beyond drug pricing reforms, EMD Serono is lobbying on biopharmaceutical patent policy and intellectual property protections. The company maintains ongoing advocacy on Medicare and Medicaid regulations, healthcare innovation initiatives, and veterans’ access to infertility treatments through the H.R. 220: Veterans Infertility Treatment Act of 2025.

Broader Context

Congressional scrutiny of pharmaceutical pricing has intensified dramatically in Q3 2025. The FTC’s January 2025 report documented that the "Big 3" PBMs generated over $7.3 billion in excess revenue from specialty generic drugs between 2017-2022, while a federal judge ordered CVS Caremark to pay $290 million in damages for overcharging federal health programs.

The Trump administration has shifted pharmaceutical pricing policy in unexpected directions. President Trump announced landmark "most-favored-nation" (MFN) pricing deals with Pfizer and AstraZeneca beginning in Q3 2025, capping U.S. prices at international levels. Meanwhile, the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare drug price negotiation program continues advancing, with CMS announcing 15 additional drugs for negotiation in 2025.

On intellectual property protections, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee held hearings on the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2025, though this faces countervailing pressure as biosimilar competition could save the healthcare system an estimated $181 billion over five years.

Between The Lines

Congressional activity in Q3 2025 directly targets the issues EMD Serono is lobbying on. The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on competition in the prescription drug market, while the House Energy and Commerce Committee examined how reining in PBMs could lower costs.

Several bipartisan bills are advancing that align with EMD Serono’s lobbying priorities, backed by lawmakers like Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Maggie Hassan. EMD Serono’s five-person lobbying team, notably including Thomas J. Borck Jr., who served as Senate Budget Committee Policy Director, is positioned to engage directly with these evolving legislative developments.

Competitive Landscape

EMD Serono’s Q3 2025 lobbying efforts occur amid intense industry-wide coordination on drug pricing and patent policy. Peers like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. are simultaneously lobbying on identical legislative priorities: PBM reform, 340B program changes, and biopharmaceutical patent protection through the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act.

This collective lobbying amplifies industry influence during a period of heightened congressional scrutiny on drug pricing and pharmaceutical innovation, though it also risks appearing as coordinated resistance to affordability reforms.

The Bottom Line

EMD Serono Inc. spent $700,000 in Q3 2025 on federal lobbying focused on PBM reform, the 340B Drug Pricing Program, and patent policy. The company’s team is engaging with an unusually active congressional environment where multiple bipartisan bills addressing these issues are advancing simultaneously. EMD Serono’s lobbying aligns with broader industry efforts from peers like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. The company’s focus suggests it views pricing regulation and patent policy as material threats to its specialty drug portfolio.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article