“Everybody suffers, except the Mylan investors”. Prices recently increased to up to $600 for two. Bresch echoed that reasoning in an interview with CNBC Thursday morning, and a statement from the company references the Affordable Care Act as a part of the problem. Even so, they don’t require Mylan to push up prices at the rate at which it has been doing so.
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The company said it’s also doubling eligibility for its patient assistance program, which it said will get rid of out-of-pocket costs for uninsured and underinsured patients and families.
In response to the firestorm, the drugmaker announced Thursday it would offer discounts for the EpiPen, including coupons covering up to $300 “for patients in health plans who face higher out-of-pocket costs”.
People will eventually be able to order the injected medicine directly from the company, to lower their cost. If they want to fix it, they could be the ones to make a stand.
For the roughly 40 million Americans who suffer from severe allergies that could lead to anaphylactic shock, having a pair of EpiPen’s on hand could mean the difference between life and death. People usually keep a number of EpiPens handy at home, school or work. And because they expire quickly, the Faerbers have to restock every year. “My insurance doesn’t cover much now”.
Customers of Express Scripts Holding Co., the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager, pay about $73.50 out of pocket for an EpiPen prescription, spokesman Brian Henry said. Following this avarice, Mylan has hiked the price of EpiPens, a common (and life-saving) allergy remedy it acquired nine years ago, by over 400%. But EpiPen, introduced in 1987, is so well known that most doctors prescribe it without considering an alternative.
In a story August 24 about U.S. Sen. Carstensen said the monopoly is unlikely to last.
EpiPen has had a series of price hikes in the past decade since Mylan purchased the device from its original maker. They typically have to pay the full price. 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. The hike has been criticized by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and members of Congress. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, penned their own letters expressing concerns over the prices. Sen. Mylan’s CEO is Heather Bresch. “If you could put up a $300 gift certificate, why not do it the simpler way, just lower the price to a reasonable level?”
Rivera’s 5-year-old son is allergic to peanuts. He’s allergic to eggs and all nuts.
“This isn’t an EpiPen issue”, she said.
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A life-saving drug for people with allergies just got a lot more expensive.
