The House Oversight Committee is investigating the actions of a dozen pharmaceutical companies in raising prescription drug prices in the U.S., the panel announced Monday.
AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi and Teva Pharmaceuticals seeking detailed information and documents about the companies’ pricing practices.
AbbVie and Sanofi received information requests regarding three of their drugs, the panel said. Amgen, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk received requests about two drugs. AstraZeneca, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Mallinckrodt and Teva were each asked about one drug.
“For years, drug companies have been aggressively increasing prices on existing drugs and setting higher launch prices for new drugs while recording windfall profits,” Cummings said in a statement. “The goals of this investigation are to determine why drug companies are increasing prices so dramatically, how drug companies are using the proceeds, and what steps can be taken to reduce prescription drug prices.”
Democrats, who regained control of the House this month, listed lowering prescription drug costs as one of their top priorities. Cummings, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Ca., introduced three bills last week aimed at lowering drug costs.
Spending on prescription drugs in the U.S. increased 0.4 percent in 2017 to $333.4 billion, according to the latest data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Lawmakers have largely been focusing on the pharmaceutical industry, which sells drugs at higher prices in the U.S. than abroad.
President Donald Trump’s administration has also vowed to lower drug costs. The administration has several proposals that would offer lower out-of-pocket costs for American consumers, which include changes to Medicare Part D, the federal program for prescription drug benefits, and Part B. Medicare is the government insurer for the elderly and disabled.
from Update News Zone http://bit.ly/2Da1cM2
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