The market price for the treatment of opioid overdose has increased 600%: Senate report

A pharmaceutical group has "exploited the opioid crisis" by increasing the price of a drug to treat opioid overdoses by more than 600% between 2014 and 2017, according to a new Senate report.

the report of The Senate Standing Subcommittee on Investigations found that Kaleo increased the price of its EVZIO drug from $ 575 in 2014 to $ 4,100 in 2017.

EVZIO is a form of self-injecting drug, naloxone, which is used to treat opioid overdose in people, a phenomenon that has reached the crisis level in the United States.

The report revealed that price increases had cost the government more than $ 142 million over the last four years because of fees charged to Medicare and Medicaid.

"The more than 600% increase in EVZIO's Kaléo price not only exploits a country in the midst of an opioid crisis, but also US taxpayers who fund healthcare programs run by the US government." government, designed to provide a safety net for the elderly and most vulnerable in our country, "says the Senate report, which was led by Sens. Rob PortmanRobert (Rob) Jones PortmanThe case for bipartite solutions GOP lawmakers condemn attempts to attack Democrats Trump takes action to punish Saudi Arabia MORE (R-Ohio) and Tom CarperThomas (Tom) Richard CarperOpening Night: Trump to Appoint Wheeler as Director of EPA | House votes to remove protections for gray wolves | Lawmakers want to trade funds for natural disasters following fires in California Trump appoints former coal lobbyist, Andrew Wheeler, to EPA's next administrator Senator Dem voices concern over possible Nielsen eviction MORE (D-Del.), The highest legislators of the committee.

The report revealed that the company was providing free EVZIO to patients if their insurance did not cover the drug, essentially based on charging high fees to some insurers to subsidize the free distribution of the product to some people.

In A declarationKaléo said he donated doses of the drug, which would have saved more than 5,500 lives since 2014. The company also said that she had never generated a profit on EVZIO.

"It's the patients, not the profits, that motivated our actions," the company said.

"We agree that changes need to be made," he added. "We believe that all patients should be entitled to innovative products at reasonable prices. We are actively working with health system stakeholders, including insurers, policy makers and government officials, to provide EVZIO at a lower cost, while ensuring that patients and their families have access to this vital medication. "