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company that sells a new opioid-addiction medication is a secret funder of an advocacy group fronted by Newt Gingrich and Patrick Kennedy that ispushing for more government funding and insurance coverage ofsuch treatments.

Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker and a Trump confidant, andKennedy, a former congressman and son of former US Senator Edward Kennedy, are paid advisors to Advocates for Opioid Recovery. They have generated a flurry of media attention in those roles, including joint interviews with outlets ranging fromFox Newstothe New Yorker.

Gingrich told STAT this week he didnt know who was funding Advocates for Opioid Recovery, and the nonprofit groups officials refused to disclose its financial backers.

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The answer, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is Braeburn Pharmaceuticals Inc. The private company, based in Princeton, N.J., won approval last year to market an implant that continuously dispenses the opioid addiction medicine buprenorphine.

Opioid treatment group fronted by Newt Gingrich and Patrick Kennedy keeps its funders secret

In a prospectus filed with the SEC in late January as part of a now-postponed effort to take the company public, Braeburn disclosed it entered into an agreement to make a $900,000 charitable donation to Advocates for Opioid Recovery. The filing indicates the company had paid $675,000 to the nonprofit group as of Sept. 30. It did not specify when the remaining funds would be paid.

The filing indicates Braeburn entered into the agreement to fund the nonprofit group through the private equity fund that owns the drugmaker.

That fund, called Apple Tree Partners, is also an investor inCleanSlate Addiction Treatment Centers. Kennedy has been a member of the board of directors of CleanSlate since 2015. The treatment center is also a sponsor of the Kennedy Forum, a mental health advocacy outfit headed by Patrick Kennedy.

Anne Woodbury, a former Gingrich aide who serves as executive director of Advocates for Opioid Recovery, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A request for comment from Braeburn was also not immediately returned.

Kennedy declined to be interviewed this week, as didVan Jones, the CNN commentator and former Obama aide who is another paid adviser. Earlier this week, Woodbury and a spokesman for the nonprofit refused to say who was funding it, adding thatthe donors wanted to remain anonymous.

Can a pricey implant to treat opioid addiction save lives and money?

While there iswidespread supportin the treatment community for use of the medicines being promoted by the three men, there is growing concern about misuse of the drugs. And some addiction experts have expressed skepticism that the Braeburn implant will be an effective treatment option.There are alternative opioid-addiction treatments that do not rely on medication, including abstinence-based and behavioral therapy programs.

Last month, Braeburn shelved a planned initial public offering, citing poor market conditions. The companys implant drug, branded as Probuphine,relies on four tiny rods implanted under the skin of the upperarm todispense the addiction-treatment drugbuprenorphinefor six months at a time.

David Armstrong can be reached at david.armstrong@statnews.com Follow David on Twitter @DavidArmstrongX Add David on Facebook

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