|
 "That's outrageous - and it's just the latest troubling example of a
company taking advantage of its consumers," Clinton said in a
statement. "It's wrong when drug companies put profits ahead of
patients, raising prices without justifying the value behind them."
Clinton frequently said during the primary that she would fight
pharmaceutical companies - part of an attempt to counter criticism
that she was too closely tied to the insurance industry. She has
released a proposal that she says will lower drug costs for
consumers.
Mylan spokeswoman Nina Devlin did not respond to inquiries about
Clinton's criticism of the company. Mylan acquired the product in
2007, and the price increased from $100 in 2008 to its current cost
of $600.
Shares of Mylan closed down more than 5 percent at $43.15 on the
Nasdaq.
“The price of EpiPen is outrageous,” said Robert Weissman, president
of consumer watchdog group Public Citizen. “Mylan is endangering
lives and ripping off the country.”
Weissman said EpiPen's U.S. price should be rolled back sharply,
noting the product is available for as little as $112 in Canada.
Many other drugmakers also routinely raise prices of their
prescription drugs by 10 percent or more each year, and U.S.
legislation is needed to prevent such “price spikes,” he added.
The White House took a more cautious tone in criticizing rising drug
costs, refusing to comment on the decisions of an individual
company.
"I will observe, however, that pharmaceutical companies that often
try to portray themselves as the inventors of life-saving medication
often do real damage to their reputation by being greedy and jacking
up prices in a way that victimizes," White House spokesman Josh
Earnest said at a news briefing.
Clinton joins a bipartisan group of lawmakers who are calling for
investigations into the price increase of EpiPens, which are
preloaded injections of epinephrine (adrenaline) that people use if
they are having a dangerous allergic reaction that untreated could
result in death.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, wrote Mylan earlier in the week to ask for an explanation
of the price change. Senator Amy Klobuchar, the top Democrat on the
committee's antitrust subcommittee, called for an investigation by
the Federal Trade Commission.
On Wednesday, Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democratic
Senator Claire McCaskill requested that Mylan provide a briefing for
the Senate to explain the price change.
Grassley and Klobuchar, along with Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy
and Richard Blumenthal and Republican Senator Ron Johnson, on
Wednesday said they had written to the Food and Drug Administration
to ask about its approval process for alternatives to the EpiPen.
[to top of second column] |
"Given the importance of this topic, it is imperative to understand
the FDA’s role with respect to EpiPens and its approval of generic
equivalents that could help to increase competition and lower prices
if introduced,” the senators said in a statement.
“We have reached out to every member of Congress who has sent us a
letter, and we look forward to meeting with them and responding to
their questions as soon as possible,” Devlin said.
In January, Clinton admonished Valeant Pharmaceuticals International
Inc, which raised the price of a heart drug. In the wake of a
Clinton campaign blog post targeting Valeant, the company's stock
fell. In March, she released a campaign ad vowing to target the
company specifically.
Clinton also criticized Turing Pharmaceuticals in the fall of 2015
when public ire rose after it decided to raise the price of an
antiviral medication commonly used by AIDS patients and pregnant
women from $13.50 a tablet to $750 each.
After a single post by Clinton on the social media website Twitter
critical of Turing, the company's stock price tumbled.
At that time, Clinton released a comprehensive drug price plan that
she says would reduce costs. Her proposal includes capping monthly
out-of-pocket costs, expanding generic drug access and allowing
Americans to buy pharmaceuticals abroad.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said little about
lowering drug prices. He has proposed increasing the amount of
negotiations permitted by Medicare in order to lower prices for
those using the program.
(Additional reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Bernard Orr
and Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
