Michigan Congressman Demands Probe of Valeant Over Lead Poisoning Drug

A congressman wants answers on why a pharmaceutical company has increased the price of a medication used to treat lead poisoning in Flint, Mich., the latest in a string of challenges by legislators to drug company pricing.

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) has called for an investigation into Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ increase in the price of the drug calcium disodium EDTA. Kildee’s district includes Flint, where lead poisoning in the water supply has become a significant public health issue.

In 2013, Valeant bought the drug as part of an acquisition deal. Since then the price of the drug has been raised several times from the original cost of $950 for a year of treatment; at the end of 2014 it was more than $26,900 per year.