The drugmaker at the center of a firestorm over hefty price increases on the lifesaving EpiPen put a special incentive plan in place more than two years ago that rewards executives if they hit aggressive profit targets.

In early 2014, the board of Mylan NV approved a one-time award for more than 100 employees that hinged on more than doubling the company’s adjusted per-share earnings over a five-year period ending in 2018, Mylan’s regulatory filings show. Meeting that goal would require 16% compound annual earnings growth—a tall order for a company that generated almost 90% of its revenue from the generally mature generic-drug business.

At the time it was granted, the award was potentially worth as much as $82 million overall to the company’s top five executives. But it would be worthless if the company—whose star product is the EpiPen—fails to achieve at least 90% of its 2018 earnings target.

The board also approved shorter-term pay tied to equally ambitious targets for “adjusted diluted” earnings. For this year, the company’s plan targeted 16% growth in that earnings benchmark, Mylan filings show. Last year, its executives produced 21% growth in adjusted diluted earnings, maxing out their bonuses even though net earnings fell.

Companies commonly give their executives incentives by linking their pay to earnings or stock-price goals, and companies are free to raise prices as they see fit. But some industry watchers say Mylan’s incentives may have played a role in the steep price increases for the EpiPen, a medication injector that many school-age children and others depend on to reverse severe allergic reactions.