Duckworth takes on massive price spikes on anti-overdose medication

Posted on February 14, 2017
Sen. Tammy Duckworth has joined 30 other senators to find answers from Kaleo Pharmaceuticals. (Photo courtesy Facebook/Tammy Duckworth)

By RFD Radio/WFMB

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), along with colleague Dick Durbin, is seeing red after another pharmaceutical company dramatically increased the price of a life saving medication.

The two Senators from Illinois teamed up with 29 other Senators to demand answers from Kaléo Pharmaceuticals for massive price hikes for an easy to use injector device that contains opioid overdose drug Naloxone and the injector device Evzio The price has surged from $690 in 2014 to $4,500 now. Duckworth says in many price gouging cases, the companies are pharmaceutical in name only.

“Here’s the thing that bugs me the most about this the fact that these companies that do this, whether they do it with the EpiPen with Naloxone, there are also doing it with diabetes, with insulin,” Duckworth said.

You may not have to worry about opioid addiction, but Duckworth said you’re impacted by the price surges regardless.

“It does cost the taxpayers money because the insurance we all pay, that cost gets spread around to all the rest of us,” Duckworth said. “It’s not acceptable.”

The 31 Senators say the price hike threatens to price-out families and communities that depend on Naloxone to save lives.

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…