Since 2007, the price of an EpiPen… a device to inject life-saving epinephrine to prevent people with severe allergies from dying due to an allergic reaction, has soard from $100 to $700. Now, why is that? How can a generic technology increase so much in price?
Well, it helps when the FDA is effectively blocking any competition from coming to market.
Also, the price increase was engineered by the CEO of the company that makes the EpiPen. By quintupling the price of the devices, she added over a billion dollars a year to the company’s bottom line and increased her own annual paycheck from $2 Million to almost $20 Million.
And the CEO of the company is the daughter of Democrat Senator Joe Manchin.
Pretty cozy right?
The Clintons aren’t the only ones doing the whole “Pay for Play” thing.
The “FDA makes it more expensive” idea may be 100 percent accurate but I cannot help but wonder what it is about Big Pharma (among others) that can’t resist pinning a “kick me” sign on its own backside.
Remember a few months back when some Wall Street moron raised the price of an anti-fungal meds from a couple of dollars/dose to $750/dose? Is he a secret shill for the “nationalize it all” lobby?
There are innumerable reasons healthcare in this country is so expensive (lawsuits, regulations, too many third-party transactions) but it remains that healthcare is eating a huge and growing percentage of the national income.
At some point, medicine is going to step back and regulate itself or, per usual, have the gubmint come in and screw it up for everyone.
You used to not need a prescription for a bee sting kit. When the FDA banned the manufacture of Primatene Mist (nasal epinephrine) as of December 31, 2011 (due to the CFC propellant and concerns about the ozone layer) asthmatics were left with no OTC alternative to prescription rescue inhalers.
If you want to have some epinephrine OTC without a prescription in case someone nearby has a reaction during civilization collapse your best option is
“Asthmanefrin, contains 11.25 mg of racepinephrine per 0.5 ml vial, in a solution equivalent to 1% epinephrine. Epinephrine is the same medication contained in the Epi-Pen, the well-known injection for bee sting and other allergic reactions. Although inhaled epinephrine is most active in the airways, some of it enters the bloodstream, which delivers it to the rest of the body, hence its ability to raise blood pressure, accelerate the heart rate, and relieve the vascular-related swelling common to hives and allergic reactions.
These potential benefits are also sometimes considered side-effects, which may be dangerous to patients with heart disease, hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure, tremor, and other nervous conditions. Doctors don’t like over-the-counter epinephrine products due to 1) the potential harm they may cause in susceptible individuals, and 2) the potential delay they may cause in seeking needed professional care. However, in a young, otherwise healthy population epinephrine is generally safe.
The product insert includes dosing recommendations for adults and children down to the age of 4 years old. For adults, one 0.5 ml vial of solution is placed in the EZ Breathe Atomizer, with a recommendation of not more than 12 inhalations in 24 hours”
Same with insulin, which for a Type 1 Diabetic many injections daily are required or death is impending (and Type 1 is a horrible disease, and is NOTHING like type 2, type 2 is from being overweight)–I read these comments on Reddit and it was heartbreaking:
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/4z15xv/insulin_price_spike_leaves_diabetes_patients_in/
Rosey, not all type 2 is from being overweight. My wife is not at all overweight, in fact, she is underweight, and has suffered from in for two decades.
Well, it appears someone has been taking a Libertarian refresher course recently.
While not immune from political pressures, the virtual conspiracy that some are suggesting exists within the FDA surrounding epinephrine injectables probably doesn’t exist. The reason the FDA is “blocking competition” results from competing products not meeting safety expectations. Sanofi Pharmaceuticals withdrew their product from market due to insufficient drug delivery amounts, which could have potentially fatal consequences. Teva’s competing product was flagged for undisclosed “major deficiencies” earlier this year, prompting that manufacturer to return the product to the development stage for a probable 2017 launch.
The FDA is in a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you don’t situation in most cases. If they are perceived as stonewalling introductions of new drugs, then they are accused of being bureaucratic and inefficient. If they fast track new drugs which are later shown to have previously unknown serious side effects, they are accused of being sloppy and bowing to the pressure of the marketplace, if not downright incompetent.
The problem with epinephrine injectables is that they must be administered intramuscularly, which, with the right product (like EpiPen) is so easy even the proverbial caveman can do it. However the wrong product may introduce the drug intravenously, thus having serious side effects, including death.
No, this rotting albatross lies at the feet of Mylan NV and it’s CEO, the former Heather Manchin. They are responsible for creating demand (both via lobbying efforts and legislation) and are now reaping the rewards from their years-long efforts. They are the company who increased their fortunes with a tax inversion and whose CEO once fabricated her MBA, with the assistance of the chancellor of the granting institution, who later was forced to resign due to his role. If anything, this is a pharmaceutical equivalent of the Clinton Foundation–with a lying greedy CEO reminiscent of a certain principal of that foundation–which begs for more government intrusion and oversight in this instance, instead of less.
Even with all the hype and outrage, there is still a lower-cost alternative. Adrenaclick can be found for as low as $132 per two-pack (the minimum recommended quantity) and has the same effectiveness and shelf life as EpiPen. The primary issue is that the administration protocol for Adrenaclick is different than for EpiPen, and thus requires patient education for proper use. Still, it’s not much different than using an Android device versus an Apple iOS device. The major issue is that one particular company has convinced the people that need their product that theirs is the only one that’s readily available, if not easiest to use.
My generic anti-depressant has gone from 10 to 30 dollars in 3 months. Hmmm…
The nepotism and cronyism between Wall Street, the Federal Government and Big-Capital is destroying this country through a lack of proportion and decency…as much a a total paucity of ethics. It used to be they had the delicacy to just skim a little of the top, now they gorge themselves on “free money”, connections, and the “revolving door” and propinquity.
It’s nothing new. No-one dared ask how FDR’s sons enriched themselves during the Depression and WW2 despite having no talents.
Also, look at Obamacare. When everyone gets their meds paid for through insurance, the consumer stops even asking what it costs. If these were available over the counter, there would a a CVS brand and a Kirkland labeled 6-pack at Costco for $30.