Wisconsin Parents Sue After Son's Asthma Medication Price Surge Leads to Tragic Death

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A couple from Poynette, Wisconsin, is suing Walgreens and pharmacy benefits manager OptumRx, alleging that their son Cole Schmidtknecht, who died of an asthma attack, could not afford the soaring price of his medication. According to the lawsuit filed on January 21, on the first anniversary of Cole's death at age 22, his prescription for Advair Diskus increased from $66 to $539. After being unable to pay, Cole left the pharmacy without his medication and subsequently suffered a fatal attack.

Shanon and William Schmidtknecht claim OptumRx violated Wisconsin law by imposing sudden price hikes without proper notice. They assert that Walgreens staff failed to explore alternative solutions to assist their son in obtaining his usual medication. "The evidence in this case will show that both OptumRx and Walgreens put profits first, and are directly responsible for Cole’s death," said family attorney Michael Trunk. OptumRx has stated that their handling of the situation was consistent with industry norms and that Cole had purchased a generic inhaler for a lower price beforehand. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

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