Novartis paid Trump’s lawyer’s firm far more than any of its actual lobbyists

WASHINGTON — The $100,000 monthly fee Novartis paid a company set up by President Trump’s personal attorney to help it better understand “U.S. healthcare policy matters” in the Trump era is almost four times more than it paid any actual outside lobbyist in the same time period.

None of the contracts for the nearly four dozen external lobbyists Novartis employs to help explain and advocate on health care policy issues came close to the amounts paid Essential Consultants LLC, according to a STAT review of the Swiss drug maker’s 2017 and 2018 filings.