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

[LisaR]

Not sure if anyone saw this in the thread on the budget board, but one the posters there is an allergy/asthma nurse and posted about it.

http://adrenaclick.com/

Forgot to add price info. I check this on Goodrx and found the lowest in my area was Walmart and Sams for $141 (that is with a discount). Walgreens was $192 (with a coupon).

I just called Target (now CVS). Their cash price for a 2 pack of Epi-pens is $734.99!!! I asked for the price on the Adrenaclick and they couldn't find it in their system and the pharmacist said she has never heard of it. She said she'd look into it and call me back if they find it.

Were the Walmart/Sams prices for the two pack?

 

[Hikergirl]

I just called Target (now CVS). Their cash price for a 2 pack of Epi-pens is $734.99!!! I asked for the price on the Adrenaclick and they couldn't find it in their system and the pharmacist said she has never heard of it. She said she'd look into it and call me back if they find it.

Were the Walmart/Sams prices for the two pack?

Yes, for one package of 2. If you go to goodrx.com that will give you prices of medications in your area. It will show you any discounted prices or prices with coupons. I think it depends on your area what the prices will be.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sadly, that's just the sort of decisions many are forced to make these days with their health care issues.

This is true, not only for medications, but for doctor's visits and procedures, etc.

 

[mom2rtk]

This is true, not only for medications, but for doctor's visits and procedures, etc.

I feel sorry for my friends who are RNs. I have been picking their brains more and more instead of going to the doctor. Oh, that and Dr. Google.

Seriously, this can't go on. They thought they were "fixing" things. Once more people have insurance, they'll go to the doctor and catch things when they are cheaper to treat, right? I'm sure any potential savings there has been more than offset by all the people now coerced into high deductible plans who are letting things go because they can't pay for the monthly coverage AND the first $6K in expenses.

 

[bcla]

There's 2 sides to the regulation as well. Why hasn't an FDA approved generic been allowed? What's holding up that approval? The original copyright time is intended to allow a drug company to recoup the cost of R&D, but the epi-pen has been on the market for decades, so shouldn't fall under that copyright time.

Instead of starting down the slippery slope of telling a company what they can charge or how much profit they can make, why aren't we asking the government to release the reigns of competition so that prices will come down?

It's not a copyright issue as there's no writing or artwork. It's also not necessarily a patent or trademark issue, although I'm sure "EpiPen" is trademarked.

It's primarily a regulatory issue where a generic version hasn't been approved as safe and effective. It's also a matter of how many manufacturers want to go through the expense of developing their versions as well as entering a market based on price. You spent all that money, but the result is that you'll be charging less than your competitor. Your competitor can still charge higher prices based on a track record and name recognition.

 

[Christine]

We are Epi-Pen customers and fortunately our copay keeps them affordable for us; however, I just think this a crime. I am confused though, on this. The drug inside the epi-pen is just epinephrine, correct? Nothing fancy, been around forever, correct? The patent is on the "pen" itself. I thought I saw this on the news last night and I never thought the drug inside was anything new. So we are just really paying for the insurance company to jack up the prices on their injection system which was developed a LONG time ago. This, to me, is a clear case of gouging.

 

[Geoff_M]

We are Epi-Pen customers and fortunately our copay keeps them affordable for us; however, I just think this a crime. I am confused though, on this. The drug inside the epi-pen is just epinephrine, correct? Nothing fancy, been around forever, correct? The patent is on the "pen" itself.

In the case of generics an ANDA (Abbreviated New Drug Application) must be filed by any company wishing to market a similar product... regardless of how long it's been around. Though the approval process is normally quicker that a full NDA, in the case of the pen there's the added twist of the delivery mechanism. Teva cannot just copy the design used by Mylan, they have to come up with one of their own... and this is going to require additional scrutiny from the FDA to make sure that it is a safe and effectively delivery system for the drug. This is a type of medication where a "misfire" could have drastic consequences.

 

[wvjules]

Odd to me that the HQ is in the Netherlands. I've always thought of it as a Morgantown company. It was always one of the premier places to want to work in Morgantown. I guess once you get so big, you move HQ out of the US for the tax benefits.

I'm also only on Pg. 3 of this thread so I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but the new CEO is the daughter of WV Senator Joe Manchin.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but the new CEO is the daughter of WV Senator Joe Manchin.

Thanks for pointing that out! Looks like this could get very interesting!

"Washington (CNN)The incredible increase in the cost of EpiPens, auto-injectors that can stop life-threatening emergencies caused by allergic reactions, has hit home on Capitol Hill, where one Democratic senator whose daughter has allergies has called for action and another Democratic senator's daughter is CEO of the company responsible for the price hike.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a Democrat whose daughter relies on EpiPen, urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate the price increase of the medication, calling it "unjustified."

Meanwhile, the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat of West Virginia, has a very different personal connection. His daughter Heather Bresch heads Mylan, the company that produces EpiPens.

CNN reached out to both Mylan and Manchin for comment and have not yet received a response."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/politics/epipens-congress-response/

 

[mom2rtk]

Odd to me that the HQ is in the Netherlands. I've always thought of it as a Morgantown company. It was always one of the premier places to want to work in Morgantown. I guess once you get so big, you move HQ out of the US for the tax benefits.

I'm also only on Pg. 3 of this thread so I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but the new CEO is the daughter of WV Senator Joe Manchin.

He should be ashamed of his daughter.

But I'm not surprised to find out it's headquartered in another country. That's what happens when corporate tax rates get prohibitively high.

 

[Tuffcookie]

When I first heard about the cost of the Epi pens, I was very upset! I don't even use them I can't imagine having to pay that for them or risk someone's life!

Thanks for pointing that out! Looks like this could get very interesting!

"Washington (CNN)The incredible increase in the cost of EpiPens, auto-injectors that can stop life-threatening emergencies caused by allergic reactions, has hit home on Capitol Hill, where one Democratic senator whose daughter has allergies has called for action and another Democratic senator's daughter is CEO of the company responsible for the price hike.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a Democrat whose daughter relies on EpiPen, urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate the price increase of the medication, calling it "unjustified."

Meanwhile, the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat of West Virginia, has a very different personal connection. His daughter Heather Bresch heads Mylan, the company that produces EpiPens.

CNN reached out to both Mylan and Manchin for comment and have not yet received a response."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/politics/epipens-congress-response/

I had read this today. I'm sure the Minnesota senator has little or no out of pocket expense with the Epi pens she gets. The senator from West Virginia should be feeling the heat! I don't use the Epi pen. What makes it different from the pen I use for my injected Imitrex? I am outraged for those of you who have to use the Epi pen. Can you give us names and addresses of whom to contact? I'll write if it will help!

TC.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I am not filling my Epi script this year. Going to take my chances with bendryl gels. The price is absurd and we now have a $6,000 deductible. I miss my pre-obamacare insurance coverage.

Yep. I haven't had my Epi pen for 2 years now. I just do my best to avoid wasps.
Bees just make me welt up where I'm stung, turn red and bumpy for a large area around the sting (about 1 foot diameter) and get itchy. Wasps make my throat close.

 

[Skippy918]

I was mad about this after seeing all the articles on my Facebook feed and I also have a couple of friends whose kids have severe allergies. I also have a friend who should carry an Epi pen but she can't afford it. She has a shellfish allergy.

 

[trip]

This is from Wikipedia.....

Under Bresch's leadership, Mylan made several acquisitions, including a $1.6 billion acquisition of Agila Specialties.[30] A $5.3 billion acquisition of Abbott Laboratories was announced in 2014[32] in conjunction with plans to re-organize the company in the Netherlands and move its domicile to a country with lower taxes.[33] The New York Times said there was something "disconcerting" about a company that benefits from large government contracts renouncing their citizenship for tax benefits.[28] Bresch stated that Mylan would reduce its effective tax rate by four percent in the first year after the merger and later by more than 5 percent, but said that the merger was being driven primarily by strategic merits rather than tax avoidance.[28] Bresch said it was a difficult choice to make, but it had to be done to maintain competitiveness against pharmaceutical manufacturers that had already executed similar inversion strategies.[28]

Wish she would have explained what the "strategic merits" were.

 

[superme80]

I was mad about this after seeing all the articles on my Facebook feed and I also have a couple of friends whose kids have severe allergies. I also have a friend who should carry an Epi pen but she can't afford it. She has a shellfish allergy.

Same for me. I am may not need it, but I have several friends and their children that do.

 

[bcla]

He should be ashamed of his daughter.

But I'm not surprised to find out it's headquartered in another country. That's what happens when corporate tax rates get prohibitively high.

I think it's a wash. A company with a US manufacturing presence can't avoid paying taxes in the US simply because they have an overseas HQ. Overseas profits are another matter.

The personal income tax is another matter, and they have to pay more to compensate for that. The highest tax rate in the Netherlands is 52%.

 

[jevs]

I find it disgraceful when the same item is significantly cheaper here.

$37.30 for adults and kids on the PBS with a script.
$99.99 without a script from my understanding.
$5.20 if you hold some kind of card ie. veterans, pension, low income etc..

Peeves me off no end when the health of people is compromised. If I could get away with it, I'd send boxes of it over to y'all.

 

[Jdbsfw]

I always thought showing a better profit at the expense of jobs (layoffs) and raising prices was "cheating". I would make a terrible CEO....

 

[robinb]

We are Epi-Pen customers and fortunately our copay keeps them affordable for us; however, I just think this a crime. I am confused though, on this. The drug inside the epi-pen is just epinephrine, correct? Nothing fancy, been around forever, correct? The patent is on the "pen" itself. I thought I saw this on the news last night and I never thought the drug inside was anything new. So we are just really paying for the insurance company to jack up the prices on their injection system which was developed a LONG time ago. This, to me, is a clear case of gouging.

Absolutely. In fact, Mylan bought the rights to the EpiPen 9 years ago so they didn't even do the R&D.

 

[undertheradar]

The "honor" should go to the lawyers. This is the one group who profits from all sides of the argument.