Following Intense Scrutiny From Congress, Drugmaker To Offer Significantly Cheaper Version Of Anti-Overdose Medication
Last month a report found that Kaleo had increased the price of Evzio by 600 percent from $575 per unit in July 2014 to $4,100 in January 2017. Lawmakers have criticized the increase that came in the middle of the opioid crisis.
A drug company is offering a significantly cheaper version of its life-saving opioid overdose treatment after a Senate investigation found that it spiked the price of its drug. A report from the Senate鈥檚 Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations last month found that the company, Kal茅o, hiked the price of its drug Evzio to $4,100 for two injectors, raising the price by more than 600 percent between 2014 and 2017. (Sullivan, 12/12)
Kaleo currently sells Evzio, a naloxone auto-injector that uses voice navigation to walk individuals through how to counteract an overdose. The generic will mirror Evzio in terms of design and formulation and is expected to be released in mid-2019. 鈥淲e have been in dialogues with a broad array with different members of the community 鈥 different organizations both in the administration and other members of government,鈥 Omar Khalil, Kaleo鈥檚 general manager for addiction and neurology, told CQ. Khalil said this included the Office of the Surgeon General and Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio and Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., the top lawmakers on a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee. (Raman, 12/12)
In addition, a generic version of Evzio should be on the market by midyear 2019 at a list price of $178 per two-dose kit, the company said. Kal茅o subsidiary IJ Therapeutics will offer the product. The company鈥檚 change to the pricing of the potentially life-saving drug came weeks after Kal茅o was the focus of a CBS 鈥60 Minutes鈥 segment in November that reported it 鈥渏acked up鈥 the drug鈥檚 list price from about $575 to $4,000. The current list price is $4,100, the company confirmed Wednesday. (Smith, 12/12)
The company has been working 鈥渇or some time鈥 with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to increase access to the drug, said a statement from kal茅o President and CEO Spencer Williamson. 鈥淲ith approximately 130 people dying daily from opioid overdoses, we recognize that more needs to be done to improve access for patients,鈥 Williamson鈥檚 statement said. (Eaton, 12/12)
