Generic Drugmaker Lannett Jacks Up Prices

Generic drugmaker Lannett Co. is reportedly doubling or tripling drug prices on some of its products. According to a New York Times' article, those increases are noteworthy because 1) its drugs are all off patent and should be discounted; and 2) Lannett is raising prices despite an antitrust inquiry from the Justice Department and a drug-pricing investigation by Connecticut’s attorney general, the story said.

For example, a bottle of dicyclomine (a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome) 100 10-milligram capsules will soon cost $19.95, up from $5.90, its price since 2001. And last year, Lannett more than tripled the price of terbutaline (a treatment for asthma and emphysema), from $136 a bottle up to $435 for 100 tablets of 2.5 milligrams each.

Lannett, based in Philadelphia, sells drugs for thyroid conditions, gastrointestinal diseases and congestive heart failure, among other ailments. 

Read the NYT article