Harris signed onto a 2017 letter to President Trump, asking him to follow the recommendations of his Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and allow the government to negotiate lower prices for naloxone.
In the July 2019 Democratic debate, Senator Harris stated that an anti-overdose syringe costs $4,000, out of the reach of many Americans who struggle with opioid addiction: “In America today… for those people who have overdosed from an opioid, there is a syringe that costs $4,000 that will save their life... It is immoral. It is untenable... and it must change with Medicare for all.” New York Times later published a fact-checking report of the debate, saying, “A product called Evzio, an auto-injector that contains the anti-overdose medicine naloxone, does cost about $4,000 for a two-dose kit. But at the end of last year, the manufacturer, Kaléo, said it would soon release a cheaper generic alternative that will cost $178. In addition, the price of a different, syringe form version of naloxone currently retails for about $80.”
“We must take action to increase access to get a wide range of services in our communities, including naloxone to prevent overdoses and other treatments to help people in the many stages of their recovery. I am a cosponsor of the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act which would provide state and local governments with $100 billion in federal funding over the next ten years to deploy those kinds of resources. “
Kamala Harris Clarifies Her HIV Policy Positions
HIV+Magazine, September 9, 2019 | Jacob Anderson-Minshall
From a 2018 letter to United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, sent by 17 senators: “No police officer, no firefighter, no public health provider, and no person should be unable to save a life because of the high price,” the lawmakers wrote.“By bringing down the cost, we can get this life-saving drug in the hands of more people as called for by the Surgeon General. Doing so will save countless lives.”
Klobuchar, Smith, Senators Call on Administration to Take Immediate Action to Reduce Price of Naloxone, a Life-Saving Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug
Klobuchar Senate Website, April 30, 2018
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Blumenthal, Murphy Call on President To Allow Government to Negotiate Lower Prices for Naloxone, a Life-Saving Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug
Office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, October 25, 2017
Klobuchar, Smith, Senators Call on Administration to Take Immediate Action to Reduce Price of Naloxone, a Life-Saving Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug
Klobuchar Senate Website, April 30, 2018
Debate Fact Check: What Were They Talking About, and What Was True?
The New York Times, July 31, 2019
