Pharmaceutical firms gave more than $500K to Delaware legislators, parties

DOVER — As the number of overdose deaths from prescription painkillers has soared in recent years, pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioid painkillers, and allied advocacy groups, have donated more than $500,000 to state and federal elected officials and major political parties in Delaware.

But Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Director Michael Barbieri, a former lawmaker who received industry donations himself, doesn’t think drug companies are impeding efforts to address opioid abuse in Delaware.

A joint investigation by The Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity found that drug companies and allied groups spent more than $880 million nationwide between 2006 through 2015 on campaign contributions and lobbying expenses at the state and federal levels.

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