Senator Baldwin, Colleagues Launch Investigation into Pharmaceutical Companies' High Price of Asthma Inhalers

Letter

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"The exorbitant price of inhalers for Americans is just another example of big pharmaceutical companies putting profits over people. While families struggle to afford this lifesaving device, these four companies are jacking up prices and turning record profits. No American who needs an inhaler to live a healthy life, especially children, should be forced to ration or forgo their medication because of cost. It is time we hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable for price gouging Americans.

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... are a direct result of the outrageous prices the companies charge. These prices force patients, especially the uninsured and underinsured, to ration doses or abandon their prescriptions altogether. The results are predictable and devastating. Without consistent access to inhalers, people with asthma and COPD are more likely to get sick, to be hospitalized, and to die. Asthma alone kills 3,500 people every year, and nearly all of these deaths are preventable with regular treatment and affordable care. This cannot be allowed to continue.

In addition to being exposed to unhealthy environments, people who live in poor and underserved communities have limited access to primary care providers and specialists who can diagnose their asthma and treat their symptoms. As a result, not only are they more likely to have asthma, they are also more likely to need costly emergency care."

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