Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Want Mylan To Justify 400-Percent Cost Increase For EpiPen Pack
The New York Times: Congress Presses Pharmaceutical Company To Explain Surge In Cost Of EpiPen
It’s back-to-school time — as well as campaign season — and lawmakers are becoming increasingly focused on the growing cost of pens: EpiPens, that is. Members of Congress are expressing rising alarm about the increasing costs of the lifesaving injection device for people with severe allergies, and they are hearing from anxious parents. (Hulse, 8/23)
Stat: Senators Press Mylan Labs Over 'Outrageous' EpiPen Pricing
Responding to the high cost of the EpiPen auto-injector for reversing life-threatening allergic reactions, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Monday wrote Mylan Laboratories asking for pricing data on the device. At the same time, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked the US Federal Trade Commission and the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate price hikes taken by Mylan. Klobuchar happens to be the ranking member of Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee. And Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) also wrote the company for data about assistance programs to patients and first responders. And he also demanded that Mylan lower its price. (Silverman, 8/22)
Morning Consult: Senate Democrat Compares EpiPen Cost Increases To Scrutinized Drugmakers
In a call for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the increased price of EpiPen packs, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) compared the rising cost of the device to companies such as Turing and Valeant hiking up the prices of rare pharmaceuticals. Mylan, the company that acquired EpiPens in 2007, has increased the cost of the allergic reaction reversal treatment from $100 per pack in 2008 to $500 currently, Klobuchar wrote in a letter sent Monday to the FTC. According to Klobuchar, the increases don’t seem to be justified because the company doesn’t need to recover the cost of developing the treatment, and the higher price is forcing some patients to maintain expired EpiPens because they can’t afford to update theirs annually. (McIntire, 8/22)
Reuters: U.S. Lawmakers Press Mylan On EpiPen Price Increases
Two senior lawmakers on the U.S. Senate's Judiciary Committee on Monday pushed for information regarding sharp price increases for EpiPens, drug-filled injectable devices used by people to counter potentially deadly allergic reactions. (8/22)
Morning Consult: Grassley Presses EpiPen Company On Price Hikes
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is seeking information on Mylan’s decision to increase the price of EpiPens since acquiring the treatment in 2007. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked Mylan’s CEO to explain the price increases that have occurred over the past few years, which have come under scrutiny. The price of the drug has increased by 400 percent and has put financial pressure on families and schools, he says. (McIntire, 8/22)
The Hill: Grassley Presses EpiPen Maker On 400 Percent Price Increase
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is asking the maker of EpiPens to explain sharp increases in the device's price. Grassley wrote a letter to Mylan, the company that makes EpiPens, asking for an explanation of a 400 percent increase in the price since 2007. (Sullivan, 8/22)
