AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill have written the five makers of naloxone, also known as Narcan, asking them to explain the huge increases they are charging for the lifesaving drug.
Collins and McCaskill are the chair and ranking Democrat, respectively, on the Senate Aging Committee. Collins says an explanation is warranted for the huge price increases for the drug, used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
"I can't rule out that it's an attempt to just make a lot of money on a drug that is desperately needed. and that we want to put in the hands of first responders," Collins says.
In one case, the price of the drug has increased 17 fold. Collins says that is unacceptable, as Congress and the states seek to make the drug more available to counter drug overdoses.
