The drug-maker also said it will expand the group of patients eligible for financial assistance and open a pathway to sell its EpiPens directly to consumers. “Competition in the market is an essential component of ensuring lower costs”. The Sex and the City actress also said she has ended her relationship with the company after previously featuring in a campaign for the company to raise awareness about anaphylaxis.
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She just hopes prices will start going down, as her kids grow up. In an interview on CNBC, company CEO Heather Bresch said, “No one’s more frustrated than me”. “Her windpipe would close up and she would die”, Hicks said.
“That’s awful because parents even had difficulty paying for the price they were before the price increase, because if you have a high deductible insurance that leaves a lot of cash out of pocket”, said Reeves. It doubled the limit for eligibility for its patient assistance program, so a family of four making up to $97,200 would pay nothing out of pocket.
Following the star’s decision to cut ties with the brand, Mylan has announced it will offer discounts for the EpiPen. That means the insurers and employers that pay the bulk of the EpiPen cost for many patients will continue to do so, contributing to higher health insurance costs.
Under mounting pressure, pharmaceutical company Mylan says it will slash the costs of emergency EpiPens for some patients in the US.
More than 15 million people suffer allergies severe enough to potentially need an emergency dose of epinephrine.
Many schools districts, such as Austintown, used grant money to purchase EpiPens and instruct teachers and staff on when and how to use it.
EpiPens last around a year to 18 months before they expire.
Durda said the savings will depend on your insurance company and the pharmacy that you use. In a fact sheet explaining how it will work, for example, the company shows that a person with up to a $300 co-pay will pay nothing for the drug.
Clayman said Mylan’s significant increase in the price is not illegal but questions remain, given the importance of EpiPen, if it’s the right thing to do.
The list price for a pair of EpiPens has been raised repeatedly from $93.88 in 2007, when Mylan acquired the product, according to Elsevier Clinical Solutions’ database of prices set by manufacturers.
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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and members of Congress from both parties have been calling on Mylan to address the pricing.
