20 Democratic senators blast steep price hike for EpiPens

FILE - In this July 8, 2016, file photo, a pharmacist holds a package of EpiPens epinephrine auto-injector, a Mylan product, in Sacramento, Calif. Mylan said it will make available a generic version of its EpiPen, as criticism mounts over the price of its injectable medicine. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty Democratic senators are demanding answers about steep price hikes for the life-saving EpiPen injector device.

The senators said in a letter to the CEO of pharmaceutical company that makes the devices, Mylan N.V., that price hikes of more than 500 percent have jeopardized access to emergency allergy shots for many Americans. The letter was addressed to Heather Bresch, daughter of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin did not sign the letter.

Mylan has responded to the public outcry by expanding programs to make EpiPens more affordable and promising a cheaper, generic version.

But the senators who signed the letter say the generic device still costs three times more than the branded EpiPen did in 2007. They are asking Mylan to answer detailed questions by Sept. 12.

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