About PhRMA

Who We Are

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical industry research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $49.5 billion in 2011 in discovering and developing new medicines.

America’s biopharmaceutical research sector is the global leader in medical innovation, with more than 300 new medicines approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the last decade. Roughly 2,900 compounds are currently being studied in the United States -- more than all other regions.

Our History

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the industry group was founded as the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association in 1958. The name changed to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in 1994 to underscore the extraordinary commitment of member companies to research.

Over a quarter century, the biopharmaceutical industry has evolved, with five major trends characterizing the changes: increased complexity of the research and development process; continued investment in R&D; increased use of medicines in health care; increased value for today's patients; and continued importance of intellectual property protections including patents and data protection for innovative medicines.

Our Mission

PhRMA's mission is to conduct effective advocacy for public policies that encourage discovery of important new medicines for patients by pharmaceutical and biotechnology research companies. To accomplish this mission, PhRMA is dedicated to achieving these goals in Washington, the states and the world:

• Broad patient access to safe and effective medicines through a free market, without price controls;
• Strong intellectual property incentives;
• And transparent, efficient regulation and a free flow of information to patients.

In addition to Washington, DC PhRMA has offices in:

• Albany, NY
• Atlanta, GA
• Baton Rouge, LA
• Denver, CO
• Foxboro, MA
• Indianapolis, IN
• Olympia, WA
• Sacramento, CA
• St. Paul, MN
• Tokyo, Japan

A 31-member board of directors governs the association.