WATCH: Featuring Testimonial From Survivor Of Opioid Crisis, New Ad Slams Big Pharma “Champion” Mike Rogers
Michigander Who Battled Opioid Addition: “Started Addiction At A Young Age. It Was The Opioids That I Really Couldn’t Get Away From… The Politicians Did It, As We’re Left To Deal With The Fallout.”
Mike Rogers Has Taken More Than $1 Million From Big Pharma, Worked To Expand Opioid Access During An Epidemic
“I’ve Seen How Abdul Looks Out For His Neighbors. That’s The Difference.”
MICHIGAN – Today, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign released “Recovery,” a new digital ad featuring Matt, a Michigander who battled opioid addiction for years and experienced firsthand the difference between Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed. Mike Rogers took more than $1 million in campaign contributions from Big Pharma and worked to expand access to prescription opioids—in stark contrast, Abdul refuses corporate PAC money and spent his career fighting the opioid epidemic and expanding access to lifesaving overdose prevention tools.
Mike Rogers spent his career in Washington delivering for his Big Pharma donors at the expense of the working Michiganders he was supposed to represent.
- In Congress, Mike Rogers was a self-proclaimed “champion” for Big Pharma and was a “leading advocate” for “boost[ing] opioid prescriptions.”
- In the Michigan Legislature, Rogers cosponsored a bill that shielded Big Pharma from accountability after their drugs hurt Michiganders, making it harder to sue for opioid epidemic damages.
Rogers’ shameful record as a Big Pharma sellout stands in sharp contrast to Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who has never taken a dime of corporate money, and has dedicated his life to building a healthy Michigan:
- As Wayne County health director, Abdul launched an initiative to deploy 100 Narcan vending machines across the county, expanding free access to the lifesaving overdose-reversal medication as well as overdose-prevention tools including fentanyl test strips, a historically significant investment in naloxone access
- Abdul’s efforts to combat opioid deaths were among several public health initiatives he oversaw in Wayne County that were “highlighted for their innovative approaches to addressing critical health issues,” including an expansion of substance use disorder services at Federal Qualified Health Centers, serving low-income residents who often did not have insurance.
MATT: Started addiction at a young age. It was the opioids that I really couldn’t get away from.
And I found myself just in a downward spiral for a decade and a half.
They were prescribed by a doctor. It turned into buying them on the streets.
But the politicians did it, as we’re left to deal with the fallout.
I met Dr. Abdul when he was Health Director working to save lives.
I’ve seen how Abdul looks out for his neighbors. That’s the difference.
Abdul: I’m Abdul El-Sayed, and I approve this message.
###