Kean has taken $118,425 from Big Pharma over the course of his career
In the midst of a global pandemic, the fight for lower prescription drug prices continues to be top of mind for voters. Despite their concerns, Tom Kean is ignoring voters by prioritizing Big Pharma profits instead of fighting to stop the industry from gouging New Jerseyans. That betrayal comes as no surprise considering Kean has taken $118,425 from Big Pharma PACs over the course of his career. Perhaps the most egregious example of Tom Kean’s allegiance to Big Pharma was his vote in support of a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“Tom Kean prioritizes Big Pharma’s profits over New Jersey families. There should be no doubt about that because he’s taken $118,425 from their corporate PACs and supported repealing the Affordable Care Act,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “The only obstacle in the way of lowering prescription drug prices are politicians like Tom Kean who have been corrupted by Big Pharma.”
Big Pharma’s Stranglehold Over Congress:
From 1998-2017, the drug industry spent $3.7 billion on lobbying, which is $1 billion more than any other industry. Since 1990, Big Pharma has made over $210 million in campaign contributions alone. In 2018, the pharmaceutical industry hired nearly 1,470 lobbyists, nearly three lobbyists for every single member of the House. As their lobbying efforts grew, Big Pharma continued to raise prescription drug prices, increasing the price of 3,400 prescription drugs in the first half of 2019 at an average rate of five times that of inflation.
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