Abram and Barnard Quoted in National Law Journal Story Highlighting Growth of Akin Gump’s Health Care Policy Practice

Akin Gump senior advisor Anna Abram and senior policy advisor Michael Barnard spoke with The National Law Journal for the article “Law and Lobbying Firms See Flurry of Hiring Activity Amid Health Care Talks in Govt.” The article reports on how discussions over so-called Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user-fee agreements as well as appropriations bills and the possibility of new health care regulations are leading to an influx of business for law firms and lobbying shops.

NLJ notes that Akin Gump has added five advisors since December 2020 in its health care policy practice. Barnard, the most recent arrival who joined this week and who was previously the former top health advisor for Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), said the environment for health care and pharma lobbying is very different from the way it was even just a few years ago.

“How Congress actually goes about doing business is increasingly less about single issues. It’s all about large packages,” said Barnard. “The government is thinking creatively within processes like appropriations, budget, reconciliation and many others, which means [lobbyists] need to think creatively on behalf of clients and how to get results, even though the process might be tricky or unpredictable.”

Others who have recently joined Akin Gump in recent months, the article notes, include Abram, who came from the FDA where she was Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs; senior policy advisor Jose Borjon, who has ties to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Dr. Mario Ramirez, a former Acting Director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Pandemic and Emerging Threats; and senior policy advisor Matthew Hittle, who joined the firm last December after serving as senior advisor to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Strong demand from clients has led Akin Gump to “add to our bench in the health care space” for the past few months, Abram stated, pointing out that there is a great deal of interest in FDA user fees, the annual fees that pharmaceutical companies pay the FDA when they apply for approval of new products, “where there is a cycle of negotiation between the pharmaceutical industry and agency officials.” She added that these agreements are expected to be considered this congressional term. “It’s a very iterative process, and on many of these policy fronts the details are still emerging.”

Abram said there are several Senate initiatives that are also driving more lobbying business, including a bipartisan effort that aims to further optimize the nation’s medical and public health preparedness and response for future health crises.