Pharma stocks fall as Rep. Cummings launches drug pricing investigation

Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) launched an investigation today into the drug pricing practices of 12 pharmaceutical companies.

A number of companies named in the investigation saw their stock prices fall, including Amgen (NSDQ:AMGN), AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV), AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO). A hearing is reportedly set for Jan. 29 and will include patients affected by rising drug costs.

Cummings requested information surrounding R&D practices and corporate strategies, as well as any communications related to price increases.

Drug-delivery devices, such as Novo Nordisk’s Novolog Flexpen for people with diabetes and AbbVie’s Humira pen for people with arthritis, made the list of products that Cummings plans to investigate.

“The Committee on Oversight and Reform is investigating the actions of drug companies in raising prescription drug prices in the United States, as well as the effects of these actions on federal and state budgets and on American families,” Cummings said in a statement.

“For years, drug companies have been aggressively increasing prices on existing drugs and setting higher launch prices for new drugs while recording windfall profits. The goals of this investigation are to determine why drug companies are increasing prices so dramatically, how drug companies are using the proceeds, and what steps can be taken to reduce prescription drug prices,” he added.

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