Amid public outcry over a sharp increase in the cost of the EpiPen, a life-saving drug to stop an anaphylactic allergy attack, Hillary Clinton has unveiled a plan to prevent “unjustified price hikes” for older prescription drugs.

Clinton’s proposal would create a team of representatives from federal agencies that would investigate and monitor the cost of long-available prescription drugs with little or no competition to protect consumers from so-called “price gouging”. The plan sets out criteria for determining “an excessive, outlier price increase” and a set of enforcement tools that include making alternative drugs available and imposing fines or penalties to help fund expanded access.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen far too many examples of drug companies raising prices excessively for longstanding, life-saving treatments with little or no new innovation or [research and development],” Clinton said in a statement. “It’s time to move beyond talking about these price hikes and start acting to address them.”

Last week, Clinton called on Mylan, the manufacturer of EpiPen, to reduce the cost of the medical device after reports highlighted that its price rose by 461%, from from $56.64 to $317.82, since 2007, when the company acquired the product.

In a statement, Clinton called the price hike “outrageous” a “troubling example” of pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of consumers. “Since there is no apparent justification in this case, I am calling on Mylan to immediately reduce the price of EpiPens,” Clinton said in a statement.

In response to the uproar, Mylan said it would launch a generic EpiPen version that is identical to the brand-name device but significantly less expensive, with a list price of $300 for a two-pack. The company also announced earlier that it would offer additional financial assistance, including co-payments worth $300, to patients who have to pay the full out-of-pocket price for the device.

Last year, Clinton outlined a plan to tackle the rising costs of prescription drugs amid outrage over the staggering price increase of Daraprim, a drug that treats life-threatening parasitic infection. The startup company responsible, Turing Pharmaceuticals, owned by controversial former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli, acquired the decades-old drug and raised the cost from $13.50 to $750 per pill.

That plan would deny tax breaks for pharmaceutical companies that market medicines directly to consumers, a controversial and costly practice legal only in the US and New Zealand, according to the World Health Organization. Clinton also said she would push companies to invest in research and development in exchange for federal subsidies.





