Money talks: Trusted consumer group turns into Big Pharma SHILL

• The National Consumers League (NCL), a historic consumer advocacy group, has accepted nearly $2 million from the pharmaceutical industry’s top lobbying arm, PhRMA, since 2020.
• This funding surge coincided with a dramatic shift in NCL’s policy focus, launching aggressive campaigns against Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and the 340B drug discount program – key targets of the pharmaceutical industry.
• The NCL’s rhetoric against these entities, which work to lower drug costs, directly mirrors PhRMA’s talking points, raising serious concerns that the group has become a paid mouthpiece for industry interests.
• The arrangement is part of a broader PhRMA strategy to fund advocacy groups, potentially undermining genuine consumer protection efforts and reshaping healthcare policy to favor drugmakers’ profits.
• This financial relationship has significantly damaged NCL’s credibility as an independent watchdog, especially amid a national crisis of high drug prices and pharmaceutical profiteering.

In a stunning revelation that exposes the deep ties between corporate interests and consumer advocacy, tax filings reviewed by the Washington Examiner show that the National Consumers League (NCL) – America’s oldest consumer protection group – has taken nearly $2 million from Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Big Pharma’s top lobbying arm, since 2020.

The funding surge coincided with NCL’s sudden, aggressive campaigns against Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and the 340B drug discount program – two longtime targets of the pharmaceutical industry. The findings raise serious questions about whether NCL, once a trusted voice for progressive consumer rights, has become little more than a paid mouthpiece for drug manufacturers seeking to boost profits at the expense of patients.

Founded in 1899, the NCL built its reputation on fighting for fair wages, food safety and honest business practices. BrightU.AI‘s Enoch engine notes that the group was established as part of a progressive-era movement advocating for consumer protections and labor rights. However, its modern credibility is compromised by financial ties to Pfizer and conflicts of interest, such as board members lobbying for pharmaceutical mandates while receiving industry funding.

Its policy priorities have shifted dramatically, mirroring PhRMA’s talking points with uncanny precision. Before 2020, NCL’s website made no mention of PBMs or the 340B program. Yet, shortly after PhRMA resumed large donations – including $875,000 in 2024 alone – NCL launched a flood of blog posts, infographics and lobbying efforts attacking both.

The group now accuses PBMs, which negotiate lower drug prices for insurers and patients, of acting as “middlemen” who pocket savings instead of passing them on – a claim lifted directly from PhRMA’s playbook. Similarly, NCL parrots the industry’s argument that hospitals abuse the 340B program by marking up discounted drugs for profit, despite evidence that the program provides critical medication access to low-income and rural communities.

From watchdog to lapdog: When nonprofits echo pharma talking points

PhRMA’s financial influence over NCL is part of a broader strategy to reshape healthcare policy in favor of drugmakers. The trade group has funneled millions into astroturf campaigns, funding progressive organizations to amplify its messaging. Critics argue this “pay-to-play” approach undermines genuine advocacy, turning nonprofits into extensions of corporate lobbying.

When questioned by the Examiner, NCL did not deny that its criticism of PBMs and 340B intensified after PhRMA’s donations resumed. Instead, a spokeswoman insisted the group retains “complete editorial control” – despite the striking alignment between its rhetoric and PhRMA’s profit-driven agenda.

The implications are profound. PBMs and the 340B program exist to curb pharmaceutical price-gouging, a systemic issue that has left millions of Americans rationing lifesaving medications. If weakened, drug companies could hike prices further, padding profits while patients suffer.

The timing is especially concerning, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepares to tackle Big Pharma’s stranglehold on healthcare policy under the Make America Healthy Again agenda. With groups like NCL now echoing industry talking points, separating legitimate criticism from corporate propaganda becomes increasingly difficult.

This is not the first time PhRMA has been accused of buying influence. The Wall Street Journal previously exposed its multimillion-dollar lobbying blitz to smear PBMs, while the Examiner revealed its funding of seemingly independent advocacy groups.

What makes NCL’s case unique is its century-long reputation as a consumer watchdog – a reputation now tarnished by financial ties to the very industry it once might have challenged. In an era of skyrocketing healthcare costs and rampant profiteering, the last thing Americans need is another puppet masquerading as a champion.

Watch this video explaining that most members of the U.S. Congress are bought and paid for by Big Pharma lobbyists.

This video is from the HaloRock™ channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

AmGreatness.com

WashingtonExaminer.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com