McKesson recently paid $150 million fine for role in opioid crisis; was at the center of recent Colorado lawsuit for allegations that citizens were falsely encouraged to take opioids
Over the course of his career, Coffman has taken $28,500 from McKesson including $2,500 in Q1; previously co-sponsored bill that left DEA toothless to respond to opioid crisis
In the most recent FEC filings, reports show Representative Mike Coffman (CO-06) took $2,500 from the corporate PAC of pharmaceutical company McKesson — the same drug company that was at the center of multiple class action lawsuits for its role in the opioid epidemic.
In January 2017, McKesson, the largest drug company in the United States, agreed to pay a record $150 million in fines after the Justice Department alleged that McKesson failed the necessary opioid oversight measures. One report noted that in Colorado, McKesson filled more than 1,600,000 orders for controlled substances in a five year period but only reported 16 of them suspicious.
Less than two years ago, Coffman touted his support for opioid epidemic legislation. Yet since then, Coffman has taken $12,500 from McKesson, bringing his career total of $28,500 from the embattled company despite the serious public safety threat that opioids pose to Coloradans. In 2014, Coffman was a co-sponsor of a version of the bill that helped drug companies like McKesson get around the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and left it “virtually impossible” for law enforcement to freeze suspicious shipments. Today, Colorado has been one of the worst battlegrounds of the opioid epidemic with opioid-related deaths increasing by 16% since 2011.
“Representative Coffman knows the devastation caused by the opioid crisis in Colorado, yet he continues to take money from one of the biggest offenders,” End Citizens President Tiffany Muller said. “Big Pharma players spend $150 million every year lobbying Congress to gut regulations so they can protect their bottom line. Coffman has taken their money and helped stack the deck in their favor, while Colorado families pay the price. End Citizens United will hold him accountable this November as we fight to clean up Congress and elect reformers like Jason Crow.”
In addition to the $28,500 Coffman has received from McKesson, he has taken nearly $1.7 million in corporate PAC money. Pay-to-play politics like this are among the reasons ECU named Coffman to its Big Money 20, a list of the worst offenders who are rigging the system in Washington to benefit their big donors. His opponent Jason Crow is rejecting all corporate PAC including those from Big Pharma in his campaign.
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