Two senators are examining recent price increases of EpiPen®, Mylan NV’s brand of epinephrine auto-injector. Since 2007 when Mylan first acquired the rights to market the device, the price has risen from $57 per auto-injector to over $600 per pair today according to Bloomberg.
Senator Charles Grassley (R) of Iowa called on the company to explain “a steep price increase in the product in recent years.
“The substantial price increase could limit access to a much-needed medication,” Grassley wrote to Mylan Chief Executive officer Heather Bresch in an Aug. 22 letter.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D) of Minnesota called for an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to determine whether the firm employed anticompetitive practices to deny competitors access to the market. She claimed that though Amedra’s Adrenaclick® provides a less expensive alternative to EpiPen, sales remain low.
Klobuchar urged the FTC to investigate whether Mylan employed exclusionary contracts with insurers, distributors or pharmacies.
“The commission takes seriously its obligation to take action where pharmaceutical companies have violated the antitrust laws and will continue to closely scrutinize drug market competition on consumers’ behalf,” Justin Cole, an FTC spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.
