![\"Mikie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/democrat-mikie-sherrill-debate-kicks-113076477.jpg\")
Mikie Sherrill abruptly used a question about unemployment to pivot to an attack on Ciattarelli. 6ABC<\/p>\nNJ gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill accused Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli of personally profiting off the opiate crisis in the tensest moment of Wednesday night\u2019s debate. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy opponent likes to talk a lot about being a businessman, but I think what New Jersey doesn\u2019t know much about his business,\u201d she said \u2014 pivoting from a question about the unemployment rate. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow he made his millions by working with some of the worst offenders and saying that opioids were safe, putting out propaganda, publishing their propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mikie Sherrill abruptly used a question about unemployment to pivot to an attack on Ciattarelli. 6ABC<\/p>\n
Sherrill was referring to controversy that emerged during Ciattarelli\u2019s\u00a02021\u00a0bid for governor\u00a0about training materials his company published, which critics said included pharma industry talking points about opiates that were dangerously inaccurate.<\/p>\n
Galen Publishing, one of two medical publishing companies Ciattarelli co-founded alongside\u00a0American Medical Publishing, had produced content on pain management that critics say minimized\u00a0the potential repercussions of opioid use.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMisuse or diversion of pain relievers is a significant problem, especially among adolescents and young adults. Concerns about opioid dependence, addiction, or non-medical use often create barriers to effective pain management,\u201d one of the papers said,\u00a0NJ.com reported<\/a>\u00a0in 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cThe risk of opioid misuse is low among patients with chronic pain who do not have preexisting substance use disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n The material was published as part of a deal with the University of Tennessee that was underwritten in part by key players in the pharmaceutical\u00a0industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sherrill tried to use the work by Ciattarelli\u2019s company to tie him to the opiate crisis. <\/p>\n \u201cTens of thousands of New Jerseyans died. And as if that wasn\u2019t enough, then he was paid to develop an app so that people who were addicted could more easily get access to opioids,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Ciattarelli did not directly address the allegations and instead counterattacked.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, shame on you,\u201d he snapped back.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the Biden administration, she had no problem whatsoever with tens of thousands of people crashing our border each and every day, not knowing what impact they had in our communities with regard to the fentanyl crisis,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n The NJ.com article reported that Ciattarelli\u2019s company, Somerville-based Galen Publishing, made $12.2 million between 2007 and 2016 on a contract for continuing education materials with the University of Tennessee\u2019s pharmacy school. <\/p>\n Critics claimed that the materials used pharma industry talking points. <\/p>\n In 2023, Ciattarelli\u2019s campaign said that the University of Tennessee picked the topics, had its faculty write the articles and oversaw the editorial content. <\/p>\n Galen acted as an intermediary to help get industry funding for the publications.<\/p>\n![\"Republican](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/republican-jack-ciattarelli-debate-kicks-113077118_704a9f.jpg\")
Ciattarelli responded with \u201cshame on you.\u201d 6ABC<\/p>\n