Senators Ask Azar to Negotiate Lower Prices for Opioid Overdose Drug

Sixteen Democratic and independent senators wrote to HHS Secretary Alex Azar urging him to negotiate lower prices for the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone.

The price of the drug has increased significantly over the course of the epidemic despite being approved by the FDA nearly 50 years ago, the senators said.

The cost of the hand-held auto-injector form of the drug, Evzio, has increased from $690 for a two-pack in 2014 to $4,000 for a two-pack, according to Michigan senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters. The increases are at odds with recommendations by the United States Surgeon General that more Americans keep naloxone delivery devices on hand, the letter states.