The EpiPen that cost $75 in 2001 costs over $300 today

[Turn the Page]

Teva Pharmaceuticals is working on a generic equivalent, but it's not approved yet.

http://www.pharmamanufacturing.com/industrynews/2016/tevas-generic-epipen-will-be-delayed-by-fda/

Pure greed!

I'm back to add to my statement. The company should be allowed to make money and accumulate money for further drug development but this amount is just wrong. I hope the generic drug gets approval quickly!

Teva makes the medication I'm on and the full retail value of a months supply of my meds is in the neighborhood of $6500. That's every month. There is a generic equivalent of this drug, made by a different company of course, that is still around $5000 a month. Sure, $1000 is $1000 but that doesn't seem like that much of a reduction from the name brand price.

 

[TheJuiciestOfJs]

For those of you that don't know, there is a generic available. They are a bit cheaper than Epi-Pens.

Also another option, if the person at hand feels competent in their ability to do this, is to get an epinephrine vial and syringe. The big downside is having to draw up the dose when it's needed. But this is MUCH cheaper than the auto injectors.

 

[minneylovesmicky]

I absolutely refuse to take epi-pens with an expiration date shorter than one year. I will make the pharmacy order a new batch or I will call all of our local pharmacies and find the one that has the longest expiration date.

One year is the longest we seem to get here in Australia. I was lucky once, about 10 yrs ago, got one with an 18 month expiry, but that was a one off, it varies anywhere from 6mths to 12 mths

With a script and medical authority we can get 2 pens for $36.00
Without a script they cost $100.00 for one
If you have a pension card you can get 2 for 5.20

Would hate to have to pay the prices of the USA, as we needed 6 as a minimum to travel o/s. Is wrong to charge so much for something that will save a life.

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

There is a generic, but our pharmacist told us that technically it is the generic for Adrenaclick. Your pharmacy might have to call your doctor to approve the switch to the generic since it isn't an exact substitute for the Epi-Pen. Also, the generic version offers a 0$ copay/$100 off coupon similar to Epi-Pen on their website (I can't remember the website name, but doing a search on "generic Adrenaclick" should get you there.) The generic 2-pack still cost us $320, and that is after the coupon!!

 

[mom2rtk]

For those of you that don't know, there is a generic available. They are a bit cheaper than Epi-Pens.

Also another option, if the person at hand feels competent in their ability to do this, is to get an epinephrine vial and syringe. The big downside is having to draw up the dose when it's needed. But this is MUCH cheaper than the auto injectors.

I was wondering earlier today if this was an option. I'm the sort of person who would do just that. But I also wondered if the vial of epinephrine would have to be refrigerated?

 

[TheJuiciestOfJs]

I was wondering earlier today if this was an option. I'm the sort of person who would do just that. But I also wondered if the vial of epinephrine would have to be refrigerated?

Refrigeration not required.

 

[mom2rtk]

Refrigeration not required.

Then for that high of a price, I would totally be carrying a vial and syringes.

As I said, I'm just glad we don't need them here any more.

 

[bcla]

Teva makes the medication I'm on and the full retail value of a months supply of my meds is in the neighborhood of $6500. That's every month. There is a generic equivalent of this drug, made by a different company of course, that is still around $5000 a month. Sure, $1000 is $1000 but that doesn't seem like that much of a reduction from the name brand price.

They make all sorts of generics. The fexofenadine they make is sold out for house brands, and costs considerably less than brand name Allegra.

Some meds are low volume and/or very expensive to manufacture though, and many of those prices are through the roof. I remember some drugs my wife bought and the high price that wasn't covered by our insurance. I asked the pharmacist if there was any generic, and was told that was the generic.

 

[undertheradar]

Let's not forget how many foreign governments send independent inspection teams to each manufacturing facility. Every one of these inspections involves time and labor.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Read some interesting articles last night about the company:

Mylan CEO blames Obamacare
http://fortune.com/2016/08/24/mylan-ceo-epipen-heather-bresch/


And about the CEO herself: (Wow!)

http://fortune.com/2015/09/11/mylan-ceo-heather-bresch/

 

[Tuffcookie]

And this morning is this news:

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/news/companies/mylan-epipen/index.html

TC

 

[mom2rtk]

Mylan CEO blames Obamacare
http://fortune.com/2016/08/24/mylan-ceo-epipen-heather-bresch/

That is absurd. She blames the ACA because people have to pay more out of pocket? What on EARTH does that have to do with their 500% price increase? It sounds like she's just not happy that people are NOTICING the price increase because of all those high deductible plans.

I imagine her blaming the ACA could make for some interesting conversations around the dinner table.

 

[mom2rtk]

And this morning is this news:

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/news/companies/mylan-epipen/index.html

TC

So their answer to absurd price gouging is to offer a $300 coupon to people paying cash. I imagine this will make some of the fervor die down. But what they really want is to be able to still gouge the insurance companies paying as 3rd parties...... which in turn we will all pay for with even higher renewal rates.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

So their answer to absurd price gouging is to offer a $300 coupon to people paying cash. I imagine this will make some of the fervor die down. But what they really want is to be able to still gouge the insurance companies paying as 3rd parties...... which in turn we will all pay for with even higher renewal rates.

Yes, interesting that they aren't really decreasing the price, which is what lawmakers are calling for, along with an explanation of why it became so expensive in the first place. But then again, let's not forget that EpiPen is this CEO's "baby", and (according to the second article from Fortune) there's a reason she's the CEO. She's helped make billions of dollars off of EpiPen in the past few years.

 

[robinb]

Read some interesting articles last night about the company:

Mylan CEO blames Obamacare
http://fortune.com/2016/08/24/mylan-ceo-epipen-heather-bresch/

I do think that one of the problems here are the high deductible health care plans. The people who have to pay so much for their medication OOP are the ones whose insurance does not cover the medication at a reasonable level. That being said, I'm not sold on ObamaCare being the cause for these prevailance of these type of plans. I think that good old fashioned corporate greed on the parts of employers and insurance companies is the driving force behind such plans.

ETA: I don't mean to say that Mylan's EpiPen price shouldn't be lowered. I do think it's way too high even if one's insurance company pays for the majority of it.

And about the CEO herself: (Wow!)

http://fortune.com/2015/09/11/mylan-ceo-heather-bresch/

I have to say that article actually made me admire her. She worked her way up from literally the basement to CEO. She's still an evil Pharma(W)itch but I have to admire her hutzpah.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

^ That's why I said "Wow!". But I agree it's rather evil if your success includes unfairly raising the cost of a life saving medication that many of your customers can no longer afford to buy.

 

[mom2rtk]

^ That's why I said "Wow!". But I agree it's rather evil if your success includes unfairly raising the cost of a life saving medication that many of your customers can no longer afford to buy.

I agree. No way can I admire that.

 

[robinb]

I agree. No way can I admire that.

In NO way do I admire her jacking up the price of the EpiPen to unreasonable levels. I think it was a serious miss step from a public relations standpoint.

 

[mom2rtk]

In NO way do I admire her jacking up the price of the EpiPen to unreasonable levels. I think it was a serious miss step from a public relations standpoint.

I also think that given the nature of this medication, it was a serious misstep from a humanitarian standpoint.

 

[robinb]

I also think that given the nature of this medication, it was a serious misstep from a humanitarian standpoint.

True that. I was coming at it from a business standpoint since the article was about her business acumen.