Four months ago today, Senator Susan Collins jetted off to Florida to attend a $50,000 fundraiser hosted by former pharmaceutical executive and Trump finance chair Bob Hugin. Just days before the fundraiser, Collins attended a briefing on the coronavirus outbreak, but rather than working on the federal response to the pandemic, Collins was raking in big money from some of Trump’s closest allies.
In addition to personally profiting off of the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid crisis, Collins has accepted more than $400,000 from the pharmaceutical industry and has taken donations from the Sackler family, who misled doctors, patients and regulators while pushing highly addictive opioids that fueled the ongoing epidemic.
Collins’ newest big pharma pal, Bob Hugin, has been accused of aggressive price hikes for cancer treatment drugs while he was CEO of Celgene, charging patients up to $180,000 annually for a drug that cost the company approximately $240 to produce. Under Hugin’s leadership the company engaged in “controversial financial and legal tactics” to keep prices high and avoid generic competition.
“At a time where federal action on the coronavirus crisis could have saved thousands of lives, Susan Collins chose to put her efforts into fundraising with a former big pharma executive who represents the worst of his industry,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “It’s very clear where Senator Collins’ priorities lie, she’s been cozying up to corporate special interests and big pharma for years, even when that hurts Maine.”
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