Mylan CEO Heather Bresch has already made one trip to Capitol Hill to answer questions regarding the skyrocketing price of the emergency epinephrine injectors, but it looks like the company won’t be making a repeat outing to talk with lawmakers.
Mylan declined a Senate Judiciary Committee request to testify about a $465 million pending settlement to resolve allegations it underpaid Medicaid — without admitting any liability.
The company’s decision not to testify at the hearing — which is titled “Oversight of the EpiPen Crisis and Settlement: Where is the Federal Government in Looking out for Taxpayers and Patients?” — was detailed in a Nov. 18 letter [PDF] to the Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA).
Mylan said it chose not to participate in the planned hearing after learning that government agencies would not testify.
Grassley said in a statement that Mylan’s actions appear to be “ducking accountability.”
“Ironically, the company was eager to talk about this problem a few weeks ago in a press release to investors but not before the United States Senate,” Grassley said.
While a rep for Grassley said he may seek to reschedule the meeting, he intends “to get answers for patients and taxpayers” one way or the other.
The hearing was in response to Mylan reaching a deal, which has been described by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as “shamefully weak” and “shockingly soft,” to resolve allegations Mylan had overcharged U.S. taxpayers potentially hundreds of millions of dollars since at least 2011.
Reuters reports that in addition to calling out Mylan for declining to testify, Grassley has urged the Securities & Exchange Commission to investigate whether the company misled investors when it announced its settlement.
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist