CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The highly anticipated trip to Capitol Hill for Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, a Marion County native and daughter of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) who has been under fire for rapid hikes in EpiPen prices, comes this week.
Bresch, who lead Mylan’s lobbying efforts to expand the usage of EpiPens which can reverse potentially fatal allergic reactions, was scheduled to testify in front of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday.
Prices of EpiPens have climbed by more than 400 percent since 2007 to upwards of $600 for a two-pack.
On Tuesday, the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office filed a court petition in an attempt to force Mylan to respond to the state’s subpoena for information as part of a state-level investigation into possible antitrust issues within Mylan along with questions about Medicaid rebate rates.
“The sole purpose of this action is to enforce the law, protect consumers by keeping prices lower and that’s what this is all about,” Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“I know that there are others that may have other goals with their investigation, my goal is to focus to enforce the law.”
Originally, Morrisey said, Mylan officials had indicated the company would cooperate with the AG’s investigation, which includes requests for any agreements with competitive companies.
“The production has been very, very slow as I think the company has been focused on the Congressional hearings. West Virginia deserves to get this information,” Morrisey said.
“West Virginians deserve to know the answers to the question as to how, not only the prices have gone through the roof, but how Mylan found itself with the license to substantially raise the price of EpiPens.”
At issue for Morrisey is potential antitrust violations on Mylan’s that could have limited competition along with Mylan’s Medicaid state rebates that may have possibly been paid at lower rates based on generic levels, instead of brand-name levels.
His office is in the investigative stage, Morrisey said, and that’s why additional documents are needed. The review was launched just more than three weeks ago. Morrisey maintained he has the ability to investigate Mylan under antitrust laws.
Morrisey’s opponent in the November General Election, Democratic nominee Del. Doug Reynolds, called Tuesday’s announcement political opportunism at its worst.
“He’s been the attorney general for three and a half years and he’s done nothing about the high cost of the EpiPen or other prescription drugs. Fifty days before the election he’s doing something,” Reynolds told MetroNews. (Listen to Reynolds interview above)
USA Today printed a story Tuesday that brings Bresch’s mother, Gayle Manchin, into the controversy. The story alleges Mrs. Manchin while National Association of State Boards of Education in 2012 pushed for the use of EpiPens in school’s nationwide. Mrs. Manchin did not respond for a request for comment from USA Today.
The chair of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). “There is justified outrage from families and schools across the country struggling to afford the high cost of EpiPens,” Chaffetz said in a joint statement with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), committee ranking member.
Prior to the hearing, the committee requested documents and communications regarding increasing prices of EpiPens, including documents related to the company’s revenues from sales of EpiPens since 2007, manufacturing costs and the amount of money the company receives from federal government health care programs.
In addition to Bresch, Dr. Doug Throckmorton, deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is scheduled to testify during Wednesday’s hearing.
The hearing will be streamed online at wvmetronews.com beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Members of at least two other Congressional committees were also looking into Mylan’s EpiPen pricing practices.