Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Mylan Pharmaceuticals has increased the price of a two-pack of EpiPens from $100 in 2008 to $500 today, with some consumers reportedly seeing prices as high as $600.
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“Thousands of Americans rely on EpiPens in a given year, and perhaps no time is more important in the purchasing of these devices than the beginning of a new school year”, Meng wrote in a letter to committee chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and top Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland. They at risk for a serious reaction – anaphylactic shock.
Symptoms include itching, swelling of the lips, tongue and roof of the mouth, tight chestedness and difficulty breathing. First, epinephrine is an unstable hormone; EpiPens need to be replaced so that the dosage inside remains correct. About half of the company’s $189 million increase in second-quarter revenue from the same period past year probably came from selling more EpiPens at higher prices. That earned Mylan almost $1.7 billion. “It is the only producer of an auto-injector pen that makes this epinephrine available to school teachers and parents and others who do not have the training to do the other kinds of injections that can be done”. But that can be hard in a panic or with a child who won’t hold still. “(They call it a “$0 copay” coupon, but read the fine print.) This lets them keep charging the higher price to insurance companies and to anyone without the coupon.
When Mylan bought he company that manufactured the injector in 2007, the cost for a single EpiPen was $57 dollars.
There may be hearings on the EpiPen price increases when Congress reconvenes next month.
Q: How can Mylan do that?
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal holds an EpiPen two-pak box during a press conference in Hartford Wednesday.
The statement called the price hikes “outrageous”. A statement released Monday didn’t address prices.
For patients previously paying the full amount of the company’s list price, the card effectively reduces their out-of-pocket cost exposure by 50 percent, Mylan said. They are the most used and most well known of treatment options.
The statement recommended that people review their coverage.
“While the price is increasing, the other issue now is that the health insurance plans have now put more and more responsibility on the patient”, said Parikh, who also serves as Levin’s doctor.
Q: Isn’t there any competition?
Some patients can cut costs even more by filling manual syringes with epinephrine themselves, but that can be a tricky process and must be done with extreme care. It pointed out its savings programs for patients and free EpiPens for schools, with around half of US schools participating. Generic maker Teva has permission to launch a version but hasn’t gotten regulatory approval yet. Another epinephrine auto-injector, Auvi-Q, left the market previous year after a recall.
Q: Is there another alternative?
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Allow medicare to negotiate drug and biologic prices.
