Dive Brief:
- According to Mylan, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has subpoenaed the company seeking information about the marketing, pricing, and sale of generic doxycycline.
- Doxycycline is a broad-spectrum, tetracycline antibiotic, used for treating severe acne, rosacea, and other infections. It is also used to prevent malaria and after possible exposure to anthrax.
- In October 2014, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D., Vt.) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D., Md.) had sent a letter to Mylan requesting information about pricing information for several drugs, including doxycycline.
Dive Insight:
In December 2014, BioPharma Dive ran a feature story focusing on the increased prices of certain generics, highlighting the most extreme cases. One of those cases was the exponential increase in the price of 50-year old doxycycline. At that point, the cost of a 100-mg dose of doxycycline had increased from 6.3 cents per pill, to $3.36 per pill.
Mylan, which recently suffered a major defeat in its quest to acquire Perrigo, is not being singled out by the DOJ. In fact, a number of generic drug makers, including Teva, have been approached by lawmakers and the DOJ to explain pricing.