PhRMA facelift?

PhRMA's announcement that Alan Holmer will resign as president and CEO has provided plenty of grist for the Washington rumor mill. With unfinished arguments over Medicare prescription drugs and reimportation at the top of the agenda this year, the question is whether the big pharma companies that control the trade group will take the opportunity to shed the organization's Darth Vader image by picking a high profile leader who commands national respect.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America still commands one of the largest lobbying budgets in Washington and is among the top contributors to political campaigns. But it has wielded its power clumsily, antagonizing politicians across the spectrum and contributing to negative public perceptions about the biopharmaceutical industry. ...