'Positive Step,' Says Sanders After AstraZeneca Agrees to Cap Inhalers at $35

AstraZeneca announced Monday that it will cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 per month for U.S. inhaled respiratory medicines—becoming the second pharmaceutical giant to make that move since U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders launched a probe in January.

The policy change—which will benefit patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including those who are uninsured and underinsured—is set to start in June, like the Boehringer Ingelheim decision announced earlier this month.

While welcoming the development, Sanders (I-Vt.) noted that it comes after the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) that he chairs began investigating "the outrageously high cost of inhalers that 25 million Americans with asthma and 16 million Americans with COPD rely on to breathe."

"If AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim can cap the cost of inhalers at $35 in the United States, these other companies can do the same."

"In my view, Americans who have asthma and COPD should not be forced to pay, in many cases, 10 to 70 times more for the same exact inhalers as patients in Europe and other parts of the world," declared Sanders. "Since we launched that investigation, I have had conversations with all of the CEOs of the major manufacturers of these products."

The senator said he was "very pleased" with AstraZeneca's announcement, calling it "a very positive step which will help save Americans thousands of dollars a year on the inhalers they need to breathe."

The panel's probe—supported by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.)—also targets GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Teva. Sanders called on the pair to "take similar action," arguing that "if AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim can cap the cost of inhalers at $35 in the United States, these other companies can do the same."

Sanders pledged that his committee "will continue to do everything we can do to make sure that Americans no longer pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs."

In AstraZeneca's announcement, CEO Pascal Soriot called for federal action, saying that "we remain dedicated to addressing the need for affordability of our medicines, but the system is complex and we cannot do it alone. It is critical that Congress bring together key stakeholders to help reform the healthcare system so patients can afford the medicines they need, not just today, but for the future."

AstraZeneca highlighted that the cap will apply to medicines including Airsupra, Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, and Symbicort—which cost up to $645—and that the company "substantially reduced the list price" of Symbicort at the beginning of the year.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in November disputed more than 100 patents held by pharmaceutical companies that make asthma inhalers, EpiPens, and other products listed in a Food and Drug Administration database, including Symbicort.

Acknowledging AstraZeneca's cap decision, FTC Chair Lina Khan said on social media Monday, "I urge the other firms whose patents FTC challenged—including GSK and Teva—to withdraw their improperly listed patents and drop costs for Americans."