As Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee, Klobuchar calls on Mylan Pharmaceutical to reduce prices
WASHNGTON, DC - Senator Amy Klobuchar, the Ranking Member of the Antitrust Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing to investigate the enormous increase in the price of EpiPens, a life-saving product used by those who suffer from severe allergies. In 2009, the price of a pack of two EpiPens was $100. Now, Mylan Pharmaceutical is selling it for $500, with some patients reportedly seeing prices as high as $600. The price increase is occurring at the same time that Mylan has gained market power in the market: the Auvi-Q from Sanofi US was recalled from the market last fall and Teva failed to receive approval for its generic version earlier this spring. The EpiPen pack was prescribed over 3.6 million times last year by U.S. doctors.
"This outrageous increase in the price of EpiPens is occurring at the same time that Mylan Pharmaceutical is exploiting a monopoly market advantage that has fallen into its lap,” said Klobuchar. “Patients all over the U.S. rely on these products, including my own daughter. Not only should the Judiciary Committee hold a hearing, the Federal Trade Commission should investigate these price increases immediately. The Commission should also report to Congress on why these outrageous price increases have become common and propose solutions that will better protect consumers within 90 days. "
Klobuchar has championed efforts to address the high cost of prescription drugs, authoring multiple pieces of legislation that would protect American consumers. She has introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015, that would empower Medicare to negotiate for the best possible price of prescription medication. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies and bans Medicare from doing so. She has also introduced the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act that would require the Food and Drug Administration to establish a personal importation program that would allow individuals to import a 90-day supply of prescription drugs from an approved Canadian pharmacy. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would expand consumers’ access to the cost-saving generic drugs they need and increase competition between drug manufacturers and choices for consumers by helping to put an end to “pay for delay” deals—the practice of brand-name drug manufacturers using anti-competitive pay-off agreements to keep more affordable generic equivalents off the market. She also joined with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Mike Lee (R-UT) to introduce the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act to deter pharmaceutical companies from blocking cheaper generic alternatives from entering the marketplace.
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