AstraZeneca follows rival, will cap inhaler prices [Video]

(The Hill) — Drugmaker AstraZeneca will cap out-of-pocket costs at $35 for all its inhaler products, the company announced Monday. 

The cap is effective June 1 and will apply to the company’s entire range of inhaler products used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including inhalers Symbicort, Breztri Aerosphere and Airsupra. The cap will be applicable for patients who are uninsured or underinsured.  

The announcement follows a similar move by rival company Boehringer Ingelheim and comes amid scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers over the cost of inhalers. 

The companies are also facing scrutiny from federal regulators for anticompetitive practices that can delay lower-cost generics from coming to market.

The Federal Trade Commission recently challenged more than 100 patents as improperly listed in the Food and Drug Administration’s database of patent and exclusivity information, including five of AstraZeneca’s patents on its blockbuster inhaler Symbicort.

The company noted it reduced the list price of Symbicort …