Governor Tim Walz is pushing drug makers to join the effort at the State Capitol to curb Minnesota’s opioid epidemic. Walz says he told pharmaceutical company executives he’s expecting a bill with a funding source will arrive at his desk — and that they should consider what he terms “reputation management.” “I didn’t use it as a threat,” says Walz, “but I reminded them that just nine percent of the public believes that pharmaceutial companies put patients above profits, and I think that is a reality that they’ll have to come to grips with.”
Bills introduced this year at the Minnesota Legislature would significantly increase annual license fees on drug manufacturers and distributors.