Eyeing EpiPens, Clinton unveils plan to fight drug price spikes

Hillary Clinton on Friday unveiled a plan to fight back against price spikes in drugs, responding to the uproar over the rising cost of EpiPens. 

The Democratic presidential nominee’s plan calls for creating a group of representatives from federal agencies that will determine when excessive price hikes on drugs that have long been on the market have occurred. 

{mosads}This group of officials would also have new powers to fight back. 

Clinton’s plan would enable the government to fine companies that are determined to be hiking their prices without sufficient reasons. The plan would also allow for importation of alternative drugs from countries with strong safety standards, as well as emergency purchases of drugs from competitors. 

Clinton has made attacking pharmaceutical companies a central part of her campaign, as public anger over high drug prices has risen. 

In addition to the price hikes for EpiPens, which treat serious allergic reactions, there has also been outrage over cases like that of Martin Shkreli, the former drug company CEO who unapologetically raised the price of a lifesaving drug drastically. 

“It’s time to move beyond talking about these price hikes and start acting to address them,” Clinton said in a statement. “All Americans deserve full access to the medications they need — without being burdened by excessive, unjustified costs.”

Congress, though, could be an obstacle. While lawmakers in both parties have expressed outrage over price hikes like those on EpiPens, there has so far not been a consensus around a response. 

Republicans have focused on speeding up the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of generic drugs to increase competition, rather than directly addressing high prices. 

Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) have a bill to speed up FDA approvals for generic drugs that would compete with products that have little competition and could face price hikes. So far, that bill has gone nowhere.