Senators ask FTC to investigate saline suppliers over shortages and pricing
By Ed Silverman
Four US Senators have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether suppliers of saline solution have illegally inflated prices in order to exploit chronic shortages of the product, which is a fixture in hospitals across the country.
Since shortages began two years ago, the companies reportedly increased their prices by 200 percent to 300 percent. In a letter to FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez, the senators contend that costs have increased for hospitals by hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars a year. Read More