EpiPen maker moves to lower cost of injector

The maker of the EpiPen said Thursday it will reduce the price of its life-saving injector for some customers, after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and lawmakers from both parties said people with severe allergies were being socked by exponential price hikes with no clear explanation.

Bowing to the pressure, Mylan said patients in plans with high out-of-pocket costs would get a $300 savings card, effectively reducing the price by half among those who were paying the full list price.

It is also extending its patient assistance program so that fewer families would pay anything out of pocket for its EpiPen Auto-Injector.

“We have been a long-term, committed partner to the allergy community and are taking immediate action to help ensure that everyone who needs an EpiPen Auto-Injector gets one. We recognize the significant burden on patients from continued, rising insurance premiums and being forced increasingly to pay the full list price for medicines at the pharmacy counter,” said Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, who is also the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, West Virginia Democrat.

Mylan had been the latest company in the pharmaceutical industry to face the ire of Congress for price hikes that seemed to have no justification except profit.

Epi-Pens are used to treat patients with severe allergies and usually are administered to counter anaphylactic shock.

Yet Mrs. Clinton and lawmakers such as Sen. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, and Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, said the company appeared to be putting its ledger sheets over patients’ health, after the price of its auto-injector went up by more than 400 percent over the past half-decade.

The drug reportedly cost just over $100 in 2009 but now is about $608.

Mrs. Clinton called the hike “outrageous” and “just the latest troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers.”

Some lawmakers weren’t impressed by Mylan’s attempt to reverse the tide of criticism, which threatened to become a significant PR problem for the company.

“This step seems like a PR fix more than a real remedy, masking an exorbitant and callous price hike,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat. “This baby step should be followed by actual robust action.

“The only fair and effective relief is a substantial price reduction for everyone who needs access to this life-saving drug, not just a special break for people who are in particular health plans and have the extra hours in their work day to navigate a bureaucratic labyrinth of discounts,” he said. “I will continue to push for a federal investigation and Congressional action.”