The senators also criticized the company’s choice to provide a coupon rather than simply lowering the price, saying it bordered on violating ethical principles and worked to drive up the overall price in the long run.
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If you’re frustrated with the high price of EpiPen, Consumer Reports says that generic Adrenaclick may be an option to discuss with your doctor.
Mylan said this week it would launch the first generic version of its allergy auto-injector EpiPen for $300, half the price of the branded product, the drugmaker’s second step in less than a week to counter the backlash over the product’s steep price.
“Some people think, with good reason, that Mylan is seeking to undercut or preemptively strike against generic competition by introducing its own generic version and that’s another reason that there should be an investigation”, said Blumenthal.
The price hike, which hit just as parent and students were preparing for a new school year, has led to an election-year uproar amid widespread concerns about high drug prices.
There’s now little competition for EpiPen.
EpiPens are used in emergencies to stop potentially fatal allergic reactions to insect bites and stings, and foods like nuts and eggs. Mylan reduced the out-of-pocket costs of EpiPen for some patients last week amid a wave of criticism from lawmakers and the public over the rapid escalation in the product’s price in the past few years. And when drug companies offer patient assistance cards, it’s usually not clear how many patients benefit.
On Monday, Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland, heads of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wrote to Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, requesting documents and communications regarding Mylan’s revenues from EpiPens since 2007, manufacturing costs and how much Mylan receives from federal health care programs.
EpiPen has a 94 percent market share for auto-injector devices, which jab a dose of the drug epinephrine into the thigh to counter risky allergic reactions such as to peanuts, other foods and bee stings.
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“Alaskans want to hear directly from the company, under oath, exactly how a 400 percent or more price increase for an off-patent medication is justifiable”, she said in statement accompanying the release of the letter. It’s what patients who don’t get assistance cards pay.
