Warren, Markey and other U.S. Senators who signed the letter contended that Mylan’s “near monopoly on the epinephrine auto-injector market” has allowed the company to increase prices beyond justifiable rises in manufacturing costs. “And the soaring costs that patients are now facing for Epi-Pen Auto-Injectors is cause for alarm”, said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., the panel’s chairman.
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“We would like the company to drop the price to $100 for two EpiPens”, Public Citizen spokeswoman Angela Bradbery said, adding that was about the price charged in France. The branded version costs around $600 for a 2 pack whereas the generic version will come at $300 for a two pack. “In turn, those costs are eventually passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums”, the senators said.
A generic competitor was expected in 2015 but has been delayed.
However, the compounding pharmacy Imprimis Pharmaceuticals said it may have a version available for individual patients in a few months.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has joined a growing group of USA lawmakers calling for an investigation into a pharmaceutical company’s controversial decision to sharply increase the price of EpiPens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, had written letters to Bresch imploring the company to scale back the price increases. (This life-saving medication cost about $100 in 2007, in comparison.) Still, the move was not enough to silence USA lawmakers.
Bresch has said the company only receives $274 of the total price for a twin-package while pharmacies and other middlemen divvy up the rest.
PhRMA, as the main trade association of the pharmaceutical industry, has sought to highlight the cost of R&D for new products and the price of innovation in response to the widespread criticism of the industry.
EpiPens are life-saving devices to people all across the country.
Information requested by the lawmakers includes how many customers use Mylan’s savings card to purchase EpiPens, how the company’s patient assistance program works and how the company partners with schools.
He explained on CNBC’s “Closing Bell” that the unavailability of a co-pay card for generic drugs or even with a high-deductible insurance plan increases the chances for a patient to pay out of pocket.
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Shares of Mylan rose 19 cents to $43.22 in trading Monday, while broader indexes rose.
