Mylan CEO to appear before US congress over EpiPen scandal
pharmafile | September 15, 2016 | News story | Business Services, Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | FDA, Hilary Clinton, Mylan, epipen
Following the controversy of Mylan’s price increases to its EpiPen (epinephrine) auto-injector, the company’s CEO Heather Bresch is due to appear before the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on September 21 to face questions on the decision.
The company has drawn fire from US lawmakers over the price of its anaphylaxis treatment which has ballooned from $100 in 2008 to over $600 this year. These price hikes have also been linked to a 671% increase in Bresch’s own salary.
The FDA has also been under scrutiny for its decision to delay the approval of Teva’s proposed generic version of EpiPen.
“We look forward to receiving answers next week from Mylan about its dramatic price hike for this life-saving medication,” stated committee chairman Jason Chaffetz and ranking member Elijah Cummings in a joint statement, adding that they “also plan to examine ways to encourage greater competition in the EpiPen market and to speed the FDA’s approval of acceptable new generic applications.”
“When medications become prohibitively expensive, some people lose access to a potentially life-saving treatment,” commented Janet Woodcock, director at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “[While] anaphylaxis is a condition some people can’t avoid, cost should not be the reason someone cannot access care.”
Democrat presidential candidate Hilary Clinton has even weighed in on the issue, unveiling a plan to tackle “unjustified price hikes.”
Matt Fellows
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