The company that makes a drug that has saved countless lives during the opioid epidemic sweeping the country increased the price of that drug 600%, costing taxpayers $142 million over four years according to a report from a committee chaired by U.S. Senator Rob Portman.

The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations concluded that in February 2016, Kaleo raised the price of its Nalaxone drug EVZIO from $575 per dose to $3,750 to "capitalize on the opportunity" of "opioid overdose at epidemic levels" and a "well-established health crisis."

Naloxone is a drug administered to reverse the sometimes deadly effects of an opioid overdose.

Emergency medical technicians, police and other first responders have been trained to use Naloxone in recent years.

Eleven months later, Kaleo raised the price to $4,100, according to the report which also found that the company's sales force focused on ensuring doctor offices signed paperwork declaring that the EVZIO prescription was medically necessary so it would be covered by programs like Medicare and Medicare.

"Naloxone is a critically important overdose reversal drug that our first responders have used to save tens of thousands of lives," said Senator Portman. "The fact that one company dramatically raised the price of its naloxone drug and cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in increased drug costs, all during a national opioid crisis no less, is simply outrageous."

The manufacturer of EVZIO released the following statement in response to the subcommittee report:

We have recently been the subject of negative attention over the price of our drug, EVZIO. Obviously, we are disappointed with the way in which some of the facts are being presented and believe there is much more to this very complex story.  However, our commitment and intention remain simple – we aspire to make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives.

We believe two facts are critical to the EVZIO story.  First, we have received voluntary reports from recipients of donated product that EVZIO has saved more than 5,500 lives since we launched the product in 2014.1 Second, we have never turned an annual profit on the sale of EVZIO.2 Patients, not profits, have driven our actions.

We believe patients and physicians should have meaningful choices. There is no doubt, the complexity of our healthcare system has had unintended negative implications for everyone involved, but most importantly, for patients. To this end, we explored viable paths within the current healthcare system to make EVZIO available to patients in a responsible, meaningful and affordable way.

We agree changes need to be made. We believe all patients should have the right to innovative products at reasonable prices.  We are actively working with stakeholders in the healthcare system, including insurers, policymakers and government officials, to provide EVZIO at a lower cost while ensuring patients and their loved ones have access to this life-saving drug.

This issue is personal to all of us at kaléo.  Like you, we are also mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, taxpayers, and importantly, we are patients too.

The Senate Subcommittee report may be seen here