Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) leveled criticism against the daughter of colleague Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) Thursday on CNBC, ripping the pharmaceutical company Mylan for its dramatic price increase for the allergy drug device EpiPen.
"I don't like what Mylan did," Klobuchar said. "I've made that very clear the last few days. I'm glad that they've made some advance toward making it easier for consumers to buy these. I still think they're too high priced."
Klobuchar, along with other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has called for an investigation into possible antitrust violations with the price increase by Heather Bresch, according to CNN.
Bresch, the Mylan CEO who collects a $19 million salary, has faced a public outcry with EpiPens spiking more than 400 percent to cost more than $600 for a standard two-pack. It was around $100 just seven years ago. In response to the criticism, Mylan has offered rebates to many of those who buy the EpiPen.
Bresch told CNBC earlier Thursday that the "broken" health care system was to blame, pointing a finger at the legislators in Washington, D.C. and claiming no one was more frustrated than her:
"The patient is paying twice," Bresch said. "They're paying full retail price at the counter, and they're paying higher premiums on their insurance. It was never intended that a consumer, that the patients would be paying list price, never. The system wasn't built for that."
"I am hoping that this is an inflection point for this country," Bresch said. "Our health care is in crisis. It's no different than the mortgage financial crisis back in 2007."
According to Bloomberg, Bresch could be called to testify on Capitol Hill to justify the price spike, but "that could be awkward, since she’s the daughter of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia."