McCaskill Seeks Drug Pricing Information on Opioid Overdose Reversal Drugs as Prices Skyrocket

Continuing her focus on reversing our nation’s opioid and heroin epidemic, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill this week wrote to five companies regarding recent price increases that have limited the accessibility of the opioid overdose reversal drug Naloxone.

“At the same time this epidemic is killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, we’re seeing the price of Naloxone go up by 1000 percent or more,” McCaskill said. “Maybe there’s a great reason for the price increases, but given the heart-breaking gravity of this epidemic and the need for this drug, I think we have to demand some answers.”

McCaskill, the top Democrat on the Senate Special Committee on Aging—which has held a series of hearings discussing ways to combat opioid abuse—teamed up with Republican Chairman Susan Collins to ask drug manufacturers for an explanation on recent price increases and what steps are being taken to ensure the availability of Naloxone.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 27,000 overdose deaths involving prescription opioid medications, heroin, or both in 2014,” the Senators wrote.  “This troubling statistic might have been even higher if not for the use of Naloxone, a critically important drug that has been used to reverse opioid overdoses for the last 45 years…Naloxone alone will not solve our addiction crisis, but remains critical during emergencies.”

A recent Politico article noted that the price of at least one version of Naloxone reportedly rose 17-fold in the last two years. In addition, a Healthline article indicated that hospitals have reported difficulty obtaining sufficient quantities of the drug.

The five companies the Senators have requested information from include: Amphaster Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; Adapt Pharmaceuticals; Kaléo Pharma; and Mylan Inc..

McCaskill last year traveled to Jefferson City, Mo. to hold a field hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and highlight the national epidemic of increased opioid addiction, abuse, and overdose deaths.