Follow The Money –

Feb. 8, 2018 – “Stephen J. Ubl, the trade group’s chief executive, said in an interview that it was in the “tens of millions,” over multiple years, a heady influx of cash for a nonprofit group whose annual donations and grants totaled $4.7 million last year.” … “She was insisting that she was totally independent and they hadn’t put any strings on her,” said State Senator Chris Eaton, one of the bill’s sponsors. “I wasn’t buying it.” Two weeks later, Jessica Hulsey Nickel ties to the industry grew even deeper when her advocacy group, the Addiction Policy Forum, announced in mid-December that it had accepted funding from the trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, known as PhRMA. While she is open — and unapologetic — about accepting money from the pharmaceutical group, Ms. Nickel declined to disclose exactly how much PhRMA had donated to her group. “It is our preference to talk about the patients and the families and not focus on the numbers,” she said.
Full Story @ NYTimes.com