Clinton called for Mylan to immediately lower the price of EpiPens since the company could not justify its pricing, and she referred to her plan that would require pharmaceutical makers to justify their price increases.
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Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also weighed in on Tuesday, accusing Mylan of “taking advantage of its consumers”.
In the meantime, many patients have turned to overseas pharmacies to purchase EpiPens at a cheaper price, or they have resorted to purchasing syringes to deliver the epinephrine needed to prevent anaphylactic shock in the event of a life-threatening allergic reaction. In the letter, which asks the company to respond by September 6, Grassley says he has heard concerns about the high cost of EpiPens from many constituents, including a man in Iowa who recently had to pay more than $500 to refill his daughter’s EpiPen prescription.
Clinton joins a bipartisan group of legislators, including Republican Iowa Sen.
Neither did Mylan nor Bresch’s father, Manchin, whose Senate colleagues are calling for hearings on the price of EpiPens, and one of whom, Sen.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she hopes the recent outcry over the increasing cost of EpiPens will lead Congress to act on stalled bills aimed at reducing prescription drug costs.
In a previous statement, Mylan said the EpiPen’s price “has changed over time to better reflect important product features and the value the product provides”, adding, “We’ve made a significant investment to support the device”.
Mylan bought the device in 2007 and set out to expand its use, embarking on an aggressive marketing effort that included putting EpiPens on Disney cruise ships, according to a Bloomberg article from past year. The cost of the severe-allergy treatment had increased by more than 400 percent in the past 10 years. “We do not wish to make Teva’s problems Mylan’s problems, or to inflict them on Mylan’s shareholders and other stakeholders”, he wrote.
It’s the latest in a string of controversies over rising drug prices that have caught the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The average wholesale price has increased almost 500% in that time, says Michael Rea, a pharmacist and CEO of Rx Savings Solutions. Garrison, who was a former lobbyist for Mylan and had gone to high school with Bresch, resigned in the aftermath of the scandal.
The price for a set of EpiPens in 2007 was about $100. The rebukes follow a steady stream of other Congress members who have questioned and expressed concern over the price increase.
The New York Times noted that Mylan defends the price increase by noting past product improvements, insurance coverage, and discounts that the company offers.
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Like all drugmakers, Mylan periodically hikes its prices. He said that while he realizes that research and development of innovative drugs and medical technology cost billions of dollars, “it must be balanced with the need to ensure patient access to life-saving technology”.
