Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Monday said he will propose legislation to address ongoing "price gouging" impacting those who use EpiPens and epinephrine, as well as those affected by EpiPen shortages the last year.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Monday he will propose legislation to address ongoing "price gouging" impacting those who use EpiPens and epinephrine, as well as those affected by EpiPen shortages.
The bill, called the Cure High Drug Prices Act, would give the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the Department of Justice authority to stop price gouging in the pharmaceutical industry, Blumenthal said during a press conference at Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford.
Blumenthal said EpiPens were once sold for $57 and the costs have reached into the $600-$700 range. Some families face difficulty in finding pharmacies selling EpiPens as their children return to school. An EpiPen is a device that delivers the drug epinephrine, a life-saving medication used when someone is experiencing a severe allergic reaction.
Carolyn Janis, a Middlefield mother of two young children who have needed EpiPens the past four years, said families are struggling to adequately treat food allergies as prices for EpiPens continue to rise.
Blumenthal said he wrote to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who said EpiPen shortages would only be temporary.
Blumenthal said he and those who need EpiPens have grown more frustrated after learning from the manufacturer that EpiPens — typically said to be good for one year — could last another four months.
"Consumers are at risk because of monopolistic abuse of power, profiteering, price-gauging and we need to stop it not only on EpiPen but also on a variety of other pharmaceutical drugs where monopolistic power or other kinds of unjustifiable power in the market give these manufacturers undo power," Blumenthal said.
Outgoing state representative Andy Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, supported Blumenthal's efforts and talked about new legislation in place for school districts — required training for all bus drivers and the option for students to bring EpiPens on the bus.