WASHINGTON — Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla made the maximum possible campaign contribution to Mehmet Oz ahead of his failed bid last year to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, according to federal campaign finance records.
Oz is well-known for spreading medical misinformation, including touting astrology as a legitimate medical tool and the myth that apple juice contains unsafe levels of arsenic — a surprising political ally for Bourla, who runs one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Bourla, who leads Pfizer and is the treasurer of the brand-drug lobby PhRMA’s board of directors, gave Oz $2,900 on Aug. 12; the maximum allowed for an individual. The contribution occurred on the same day that the Democratic-led House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act. The vote ensured drug pricing policies vehemently opposed by the pharmaceutical industry would become law.
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