Former pharmaceutical CEO and New Jersey Senate hopeful Bob Hugin doubled the price of a vital cancer drug, a new report charges.
The advocacy group called Patients for Affordable Drugs Action released a report Monday on Hugin’s tenure at the helm of drugmaker Celgene. Hugin is challenging Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is up for re-election this fall.
The report charges that during Hugin’s tenure, the price of a blood cancer drug Revlimid doubled from $9,853 in 2010 to $18,546 in 2017.
It also said that Celgene actively worked to delay generic competition for Revlimid.
Generic companies have accused Celgene of refusing to sell samples to them. A generic company needs up to 5,000 samples of a product in order to perform testing required for approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
“Hugin’s maneuvers caught the federal government’s attention and even led to three lawsuits against Celgene in federal court,” the report said.
Celgene’s action isn’t an aberration. Brand drugmakers sometimes deny samples to generic companies.
The report also charges that Celgene has tried to lobby Congress to block the CREATES Act, which would make it easier for generic drug companies to sue brand name companies that deny samples. Hugin’s campaign did not return a request for comment as of press time.
The report comes as the Trump administration has aimed to tackle drug prices, releasing a blue print earlier this year. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has also criticized the moves by drug makers to delay generic competition.
The agency released a list of nearly 50 companies that have delayed giving generic samples. Celgene was one of the companies.
