U.S. Government Health Plans Spent Over $1 Billion On EpiPens Over Past 5 Years
U.S. Government Health Plans Spent Over $1 Billion On EpiPens Over Past 5 Years
Now the company behind the emergency allergic reaction treatment is under additional scrutiny.
10/06/2016 02:17 am ET By Bill Berkrot Reuters
U.S. government health plans spent more than $1 billion on Mylan NVs EpiPen emergency allergic reaction treatment between 2011 and 2015, according to figures released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Wednesday.
Mylan is under scrutiny for raising prices on the lifesaving EpiPen sixfold in less than a decade, making the devices unaffordable for a growing number of families. U.S. lawmakers and prosecutors are also investigating what impact Mylans EpiPen pricing has had on government-funded health programs.
Klobuchar and other lawmakers contend that Mylan underpaid rebates to state Medicaid programs by misclassifying EpiPen as a generic instead of a branded drug. The Medicaid rebate for a generic is 13 percent compared with a minimum 23.1 percent for a branded drug.
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