Both large pharmas may have been prompted to enact the payment cap after the US Senate launched an investigation into the high cost of inhaled respiratory medicines compared with other countries, such as the UK, Germany, and France.
In January, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee sent letters to AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim, as well as GSK and Teva, requesting documentation on “internal decisions that ensure their inhalers do not face competition and can continue to bring in massive revenues.”
According to the committee, inhalers from the four drugmakers can cost patients between $200 and $600 per month.
“We remain dedicated to addressing the need for affordability of our medicines, but the system is complex and we cannot do it alone,” CEO Pascal Soriot said in a statement. “It is critical that Congress bring together key stakeholders to help reform the healthcare system so patients can afford the medicines they need, not just today, but for the future.”