PhRMA released undated figures showing $39 billion in research and development spending in 2005. That’s a 5.4 percent increase from $37 billion in 2004. “America’s research-based biopharmaceutical companies once again lead the world in investing in the hunt for new cures and treatments. It is the most research-intensive industry in America, and we are proud of the longstanding commitment to meeting patient needs shown by PhRMA member companies’ R&D investments - investments that far exceed those of the international pharmaceutical industry and the National Institutes of Health,” said PhRMA president and CEO Billy Tauzin. The industry’s critics invariably point out that drug companies invest similar if not larger sums on advertising and marketing drugs to doctors and patients.