Price of drug for overdoses jumps more than 600 percent

The price for an injectable drug touted as an antidote for opioid overdoses has jumped more than 600 percent, prompting outrage from first responders, health advocates and the U.S. Senate.

Evzio contains naloxone, which can save the lives of people who are overdosing. The medication, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is designed to be used by people who don’t have medical training, such as police officers and families who have relatives with substance abuse problems.

The price for Evzio, which is an important tool to deal with the U.S. opioid crisis, has jumped from $690 in 2014 to $4,500.

That’s against the backdrop of a huge rise in the number of prescription opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the figure has quadrupled since 1999. During that period, more than 183,000 individuals died.

This month, 31 U.S. senators sent a letter to Kaleo Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Evzio, to complain.

“Such a steep rise in the cost of this drug threatens to price out families and communities that depend on naloxone to save lives,” the letter reads. “At a time when Congress has worked to expand access to naloxone products and to assist state and local communities to equip first responders with this lifesaving drug, this startling price hike is very concerning.”

Naloxone also comes in a nasal spray and an injectable form for health care professionals.

The uproar mirrors that surrounding the huge price increases for the EpiPen, an epinephrine auto-injector that is used on people having allergic reactions, and the toxoplasmosis drug Daraprim, used by people who have AIDS, cancer or a weakened immune system.

According to the Spencer Williamson, CEO of Richmond, Va.-based drugmaker Kaleo, people with commercial insurance can get Evzio for free whether or not they have high-deductible plans or if Evzio isn’t covered by their insurance companies, as can patients without insurance who have a household income below $100,000. It’s $360 for patients paying cash.

“In February 2016, the list price of EVZIO increased so that we could launch this access program for patients. Because of this patient access program for EVZIO, more Americans are able to obtain naloxone for $0 outof-pocket than any time in history,” he said in a written statement.

According to the company, the prices, $690 and $4,500, are incorrect.

The figures cited by the senators come from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Mr. Williamson said the listed wholesale price, which is for distributors selling to pharmacies, is $4,100, but it’s “not a true net price to anyone, including the distributors or pharmacies, due to numerous discounts and rebates that are negotiated in the supply chain that make up our health care system.”