Democratic House members are lashing out at their Republican counterparts for not examining high drug prices, wondering whether committee leaders are turning a blind eye to the issue.
Every Democrat on the House Oversight Committee wrote to chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, on Wednesday to follow up on its request back on Sept. 28 to hold hearings on high drug prices.
“It has now been more than a month but you have not given us the courtesy of a reply,” according to the letter.
The Democrats asked for a hearing with J. Michael Pearson, the CEO of drug maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which has received criticism for raising prices of older heart drugs. They also wanted to bring in controversial CEO Martin Shkreli, whose Turing Pharmaceuticals drastically raised the price of an old anti-parasite medication.
The letter added that Democrats wanted to issue a subpoena compelling Pearson to issue documents he has been withholding from Congress. Shkreli has also refused to provide requested documents, Democrats said.
The lawmakers called the silence on the issue “troubling,” and speculated whether it means “the issue is not worth the committee’s time.”
“Over the past year, Democrats have asked you repeatedly to take action on this critical issue, but you have refused every request,” the letter said. “You have not signed one letter seeking documents from a drug company, and you have not held a single hearing to address this problem.”
The chairman’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on the letter.
The acrimony in the House is a stark contrast to the Senate, where a bipartisan investigation kicked off Wednesday.
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., announced Wednesday the Senate Special Committee on Aging will open an investigation into the price hikes.
“Some of the recent actions we’ve seen in the pharmaceutical industry — with corporate acquisitions followed by dramatic increases in the prices of pre-existing drugs — have looked like little more than price gouging,” McCaskill said.
An initial hearing is scheduled for December.
High drug prices have increasingly become a top concern for Americans. A recent poll from Kaiser Family Foundation discovered that 77 percent of those surveyed believe it was a top issue.
