Epinephrine injectors are life saving devices for people with food allergies and one company – Mylan Inc. – produces almost all of them. In this episode, listen to the highlights from a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee grilling of Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, and judge her justification for raising the EpiPen’s price over 600% since EpiPen’s competition was eliminated.

Executive Producer: Anonymous

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Sound Clip Sources

Hearing: EpiPen Price Increases (Watch on C-SPAN)

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, September 21, 2016.

Witnesses

• Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Inc.
• Doug Throckmorton, M.D., Deputy Center Director for Regulatory Programs

Clip Timestamps

(In order of appearance in episode)

• 51:16 – Doug Throckmorton: Available epinephrine injectors
• 49:55 – Rep. John Mica (FL) and Doug Throckmorton: FDA won’t discuss generic applications
• 0:35 – Chairman Jason Chaffetz (UT) – Introduction
• 9:25 – Elijah Cummings (MD): Mylan’s actions that Congress is investigating
• 12:20 – Elijah Cummings: List of EpiPen price increases
• 4:10 – Jason Chaffetz: Executive compensation
• 16:55 – Elijah Cummings: Martin Shkreli called Congress “imbeciles”
• 24:10 – Heather Bresch: Introduction
• 28:16 – Heather Bresch: Mylan’s profits from each EpiPen
• 47:43 – Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD) & Heather Bresch: Mylan did not give Congress requested documents
• 55:10 – Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton & Heather Bresch: Will Mylan reduce the price of EpiPens?
• 1:23:26 – Rep. Scott DesJarlais (TN) & Heather Bresch: How long were the price increases going to continue?
• 1:32:10 – Rep. Gerald Connolly (VA) & Heather Bresch: Mylan’s EpiPen is 94% of the epinephrine injector market.
• 1:56:55 – Rep. Stacey Plaskett (VI) & Heather Bresch: Why are customers paying so much for EpiPens?
• 2:01:04 – Rep. Mark Meadows (NC) & Heather Bresch: Everyone pays a different price in this system
• 2:51:15 – Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ) & Heather Bresch: Mylan moved their headquarters to the Netherlands to pay less in U.S. taxes.
• 2:37:15 – Rep. Peter Welch & Heather Bresch: EpiPens cost much less in the Netherlands
• 1:03:15 – Rep. John Duncan (TN): Drug companies have manipulated the market.
• 1:44:25 – Tammy Duckworth (IL) & Heather Bresch: Mylan prohibited schools from buying from competitors
• 36:45 – Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT) & Heather Bresch: Heather Bresch’s explanation for why her mother used her position to get schools to buy EpiPens from Mylan
• 1:11:40 – Rep. Tim Walberg (MI) & Heather Bresch: Mylans plan would shift costs of EpiPens to government
• 1:21:16 – Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA) & Heather Bresch: Veterans Administration is able to negotiate it’s drug prices, which makes them lower
• 53:35 – Rep. John Mica (FL) & Heather Bresch: Executive compensation at Mylan
• 59:19 – Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) & Heather Bresch: What does Heather Bresch do to earn $18 million per year?
• 2:48:55 – Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ) & Heather Bresch: Heather Bresch often uses a company private jet
• 2:13:50 – Rep. Mick Mulvaney (SC) & Heather Bresch: Mylan is getting what it deserves
• 3:08:08 – Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI) & Heather Bresch: Does Heather Bresch feel guilty?
• 3:39:40 – Rep. Jason Chaffetz & Heather Bresch: The numbers don’t add up.
• 3:43:30 – Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD) Closing statement

Additional Reading

• Article: Family matters: EpiPens had high-level help getting into schools by Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today, September 21, 2016.
• Article: Have You Ever Tried to Buy an EpiPen? by Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, August 24, 2016.
• Article: Everyone Hates Martin Shkreli. Everyone is Missing the Point by Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, February 5, 2016.

Additional Information

• Law: H.R. 2094 (113th Congress): School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act
• OpenSecrets: Senator Joe Manchin’s campaign contributors

Music Presented in This Episode

• Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Cover Art

Design by Only Child Imaginations