AstraZeneca is capping out-of-pocket costs for inhalers and related medication at no more than $35 per month, the drugmakerBritain based pharma giant said the expanded savings are intended to help vulnerable patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially those without health insurance. The price cap takes effect June 1.
The move matches a similar cost-reduction program from Boehringer Ingelheim, a German pharmaceutical company that rivals AstraZeneca in the inhaler market. It follows the launch of an investigation by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, in which Democratic senators and Sen. Bernie Sanders , an independent who caucuses with the Democrats,Sanders released a statement Monday congratulating AstraZeneca and urging other companies to follow suit.
“If AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim can cap the cost of inhalers at $35 in the United States, these other companies can do the same,” Sanders said in Monday’s release. A GlaxoSmithKline spokesperson said in an email that the company “has a strong track record of responsibly pricing medicines while creating solutions that provide patients with access to scientific breakthroughs.” The company provides medicines and vaccines at no cost to patients who are eligible for its charitable programs, the spokesperson added.
“Drug manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, employers, and the government operate in a perverse system that drives prices higher — and all stakeholders must work together to improve affordability and access,” AAFA President Kenneth Mendez said in a statement.
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