Price for asthma drug jumps 1,000 percent in just one year

Two pharmaceutical giants pushed up the price of a popular generic asthma drug more than 1,000 percent between December 2012 and December 2013, according to a lawsuit filed in California

Mylan Pharmaceuticals raised the price of a 2 mg albuterol sulfate tablet, a generic drug to treat asthma and other respiratory conditions, from $0.17 to $5.55 in just one year. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries increased the price of tablets from $0.30 to $4.42. You might remember Mylan as the company under scrutiny for the rising cost of the EpiPen.

This month, the Self-Insured Schools of California filed a lawsuit against Mylan and Sun Pharmaceutical for the not-so-modest price increases of the asthma drug. The suit asserts that consumers are victims of price gouging for artificially inflated drug prices. The drug companies have yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit.

Have you or a family member been affected by this price spike? Or have you been affected by cost increases of another prescription drug? Share your story with Voices for Affordable Health.