The record drug shortage hitting hospitals, pharmacies, and ultimately affecting patients across the United States has come to the attention of Congress.
Specifically, it has come to the attention of the US House Oversight Committee and its top ranking Democrat, Elijah Cummings, of Maryland, who has launched an investigation into possible price gouging by companies that have obtained the drugs on secondary markets and are reselling them at astonishingly high mark-ups, in some cases as high as 80 times the normal cost, although the average is a seven fold mark-up. The drugs involved include several cancer drugs, such as cytarabine, paclitaxel and leucovorin.
The severe shortages are forcing physicians to go with less effective medications.
The Congressman has sent letters to the following five companies, all of whom are alleged to be price-gouging hospitals and pharmacies during the drug shortage:
Allied Medical Supply (Miami)
Superior Medical Supply (Superior, Colorado), was selling breast and ovarian cancer drug paclitaxel at seven times the normal price
Premium Health Services (Columbia, Maryland) was selling leucovorin for 50 times the normal price.
PRN Pharmaceuticals (Rockville, Maryland)
Reliance Wholesale Inc (Miami)
Three of the companies have expressed their intention to respond to the Congressman's letter.
Source: Business Week
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