Rising: Sen. Klobuchar calls out Rising Pharma for price-gouging an old generic drug in shortage

Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar sent a letter on Thursday to Rising Pharmaceuticals over the company's decision to price its generic drug to treat lead poisoning at $32,000, which has led hospitals to no longer afford it or carry it. While the FDA allowed Rising to bring this polyvalent ion chelator, known as edetate calcium disodium, to alleviate a shortage, Klobuchar notes that its price is "ten times the price of the imported version from France," which is leading to access issues. "As a result of Rising's actions, Americans diagnosed with elevated blood lead levels must wait days - an intolerably long time - before their hospital is able to source this critical drug," Klobuchar wrote. The company announced in August that it would start selling the injection, and in September announced the opening of a commercial manufacturing facility in Decatur, IL, to manufacture and package sterile products, including injectables and ophthalmic products in response to supply shortages in the US. Rising did not respond to a request for comment on its price for its injection. Klobuchar is seeking answers on eight different questions, including, "Why is this generic drug that was developed decades ago priced at ten times the amount of the same generic product in France? France pays more for generics on average than other comparable European countries." According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bausch Health stopped making its calcium disodium versenate injection in June. New Jersey-based Rising previously made headlines for raising the price of chloroquine phosphate, which saw a hike of roughly 98% to $7.66 for a 250 mg tablet.