The company’s CEO, Heather Bresch, is the daughter of West Virginia Sen.
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The investor-turned-pharma exec elaborated further in a series of tweets on Wednesday, arguing that Mylan’s profit margin isn’t almost high enough and that CEO Bresch’s compensation package (which has come under scrutiny) isn’t particularly lavish if you’re only considering salary.
Klobuchar, voicing concerns for parents whose children have allergies, wants action.
At least three senators have called for investigations into the price of the EpiPen, and Sens.
The treatments are used to quickly treat the severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, which can include swelling of the tongue or throat, shortness of breath and a rash, according to USA Today.
Congress helped create the current crisis when it passed a law strongly suggesting that states require schools to have EpiPens on hand, and almost all do. Plus, each EpiPen pack expires after a year, necessitating replacement. A new paper from Harvard Medical School researchers analyzing the phenomena of high drug prices concluded that FDA regulations and federal law work together to protect drug companies from competition. Her proposal includes capping monthly out-of-pocket costs, expanding generic drug access and allowing Americans to buy pharmaceuticals overseas.
“Unfortunately, the story of EpiPen is not unique”.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Richard Blumentahl of CT, have written to Mylan about their concerns.
Plus, epinephrine has a short shelf life, so people have to replace their EpiPens each year, even if they’ve never used them.
And inevitably, others will be forced to gamble with life and death as EpiPen costs have become out of reach. “Schools are feeling the budgetary effects of needing EpiPens on hand in order to be prepared for emergency situations”.
And one product is seen as the best hope to stop the reaction, an EpiPen. “Over 40% of children are insured through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)”, he added.
Senators Susan Collins and Claire McCaskill, respectively the Republican chairman and Democrat top representative on the Senate Aging Committee are seeking an explanation from Mylan for the boost in pricing.
As the Post-Gazette reported this morning, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has raised their own objections, seeking a price reduction and a closer look into Mylan’s practices.
“It’s wrong when drug companies put profits ahead of patients, raising prices without justifying the value behind them”, the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement on her Facebook page. A two-dose package, costing around $94 nine years ago, rose more than 600 percent to an average cost of $608 in May, according to the Elsevier Clinical Solutions’ Gold Standard Drug Database.
The company has come under fire in recent days over the cost of the popular EpiPen, the most common epinephrine injector on the market.
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Rep. Elijah Cummings accused Shkreli of dealing in “blood money” and taking advantage of Turing’s customers.
