A five-fold price hike for EpiPen, which allergy sufferers use to counteract life-threatening reactions, has made Mylan the newest drug manufacturer to come under attack in the United States for profiteering. The Minnesota Democrat asked the Judiciary Committee to investigate.
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Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote Mylan, the company that manufactures the devices, and asked for more information on why the prices have increased.
“It follows that numerous children who are prescribed EpiPens are covered by Medicaid and therefore the taxpayers are picking up the tab for this medication”, Grassley wrote. Generics usually drive drug prices down. “This current and ongoing shift has presented new challenges for consumers, and now they are bearing more of the cost”, it said in a statement. Turing had raised the price of Daraprim to $750 a tablet from $13.50. “People with life-threatening allergies need access to this drug, so, I would imagine that there would be a lot of concern”.
Mylan’s price increase is occurring at the same time that the company has gained market power, Klobuchar said.
Grassley says he’s concerned the substantial price increase could limit access to a much-needed medication.”The effects of the cost increase on patients is a concern from a couple of points of view”, Grassley says, “not only to the family, but there’s also concern that school budgets might be effected because a lot of schools keep the product on hand”. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., wants the Federal Trade Commission to take a look.
Mylan issued a press release on Monday stating, “Ensuring access to epinephrine – the only first-line treatment for anaphylaxis – is a core part of our mission”. “We are proud of the programs which we have implemented over the past years to help support access to treatment, including our My EpiPen Savings Card, a patient assistance program, and the EpiPen4Schools program, which provides free EpiPen (epinephrine injection, USP) Auto-Injectors to USA schools”.
In 2015, almost 80% of commercially insured patients using the My EpiPen Savings Card™ received EpiPen Auto-Injector for $0. The company said around half of USA schools are participating in that program.
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The outrage comes as families are discovering the cost of an EpiPen has surged more than 400 percent in the last eight years. “The U.S. Department of Justice must investigate this matter immediately”.
