AstraZeneca Donates $8K to Brown’s Re-Election Campaign

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca made an $8,000 contribution to Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) re-election campaign two days after he signed a bill (AB 499) to allow children ages 12 and older to obtain preventive treatment for sexually transmitted infections, including the vaccine against human papillomavirus, without parental consent. AstraZeneca has a financial interest in HPV vaccines, but the pharmaceutical firm maintains that the donation was unrelated to Brown's action on AB 499. Meanwhile, Brown's office said the contribution was unsolicited.

• "Pharmaceutical Firm AstraZeneca PLC Donates $8,000 to Jerry Brown" (Siders, Sacramento Bee, 10/25).