Naloxone maker gouges consumers, report says

Staff report

WASHINGTON

A new report released by a U.S. senator from Ohio charges a major drug company with gouging consumers with dramatic price increases for naloxone during a national opioid-overdose crisis.

The investigative report released by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Tom Carper , D-Del., the chairman and ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations focused on the cost of naloxone, the prescription drug used to revive individuals who overdose on opioids.

It was the focus of a CBS News “60 Minutes” report Sunday night.

The new PSI report details how the drug manufacturer kaléo exploited the opioid crisis by increasing the price of its naloxone drug, EVZIO, by more than 600 percent from the initial price of $575 per unit to $3,750 and then to $4,100 11 months later.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.