Mylan ducks call to testify in front of Senate

pharmafile | November 22, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications Department of Justice, Mylan, epipen 

Mylan has avoided the call to testify in front of the Senate judiciary committee. The hearing will be convened under the title of “Oversight of the EpiPen Crisis and Settlement: Where is the Federal Government in Looking out for Taxpayers and Patients?”

Mylan justified their refusal to attend by stating: “From the stated title of the hearing, we understand that the intended focus of the hearing will be on the Committee’s oversight of government agencies as it relates to a pending matter”. They also refused to attend on the grounds that the Department of Justice had declined to attend the conference.

The discussion of the issue, by Mylan, as a pending matter is corroborated by the Department of Justice commenting that “it hasn’t agreed to any settlement with any potential party.” However, this contradicts an announcement by Mylan in October that a settlement had been reached with the Department of Justice.

Though it is unlikely, Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the committee, can potentially issue subpoenas to those involved, though this would require voting of committe members and would be an unsual step.

“The Obama administration is dodging accountability for an expensive problem, and now a company is following its bad example,” Grassley said in a statement. “It’s a shame government agencies and the company are ducking accountability under a voluntary process. One way or another, I intend to get answers for patients and taxpayers.”

Mylan’s decision to avoid the call to attend the hearing will be an attempt to keep themselves out of the headlines. They will have hoped that the outcry over the price increases, that saw the price of their EpiPen increase 400% since 2008, would die down somewhat after the announcement of the settlement. Question marks and headlines will now be generated anew with this latest turn in the scandal.

Ben Hargreaves

Related Content

Pfizer to pay $345 million in EpiPen lawsuit

Pfizer has reached a $345 million settlement over consumer claims they overpaid for EpiPens as …

800px-mono-embolex_by_danny_s

Mylan reaches agreement with Aspen for their European thrombosis business

Mylan has announced an agreement to acquire the intellectual property and commercialisation rights to Aspen’s …

unnamed_1

US Department of Justice charges Teva with generic price fixing

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged Teva Pharmaceuticals with conspiracy to fix the …

Latest content