Joe Manchin’s daughter, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, is back in the news, striking a defiant tone over criticism of her company’s decision to price-gouge the families of children with life-threatening allergies.
In an interview with CNN, Bresch defended her decision to raise the price of the life-saving EpiPen by 500%, while her own salary increased from $2.4 million to nearly $19 million:
Bresch described the controversy as a “defining moment.” After it happened, she saw two options for how to move forward.
“I could … go curl up in a corner, just say I’m sorry, and lower the price,” Bresch told Harlow.
She didn’t do that.
“I wasn’t going to be apologetic for operating in the system that existed,” she said.
Manchin, for his part agrees that his daughter did nothing wrong. When Mylan was investigated by Congress for their price hikes, Manchin asked his colleagues to be “open-minded.” And he has been handsomely rewarded for his loyalty, with Mylan donating nearly $200,000 to the Senator’s campaigns.
Holding children with life-threatening allergies hostage has been very profitable for the Manchin family.