Price increases have helped transform the EpiPen into a billion-dollar business despite being a decades-old product.
In 2007, when drugmaker Mylan bought the autoinjecting device, which contains epinephrine (otherwise known as adrenaline), the list price was $57. Now, a two-pack EpiPen will set you back more than $600 without insurance, according to prescription-drug price comparison website GoodRx. Since 2009, when it was $100 for a pack of two, the price has gone up about 500% (though the price varies among pharmacies). And senators are starting to ask for answers.
These things expire as they are kept on hand for emergencies, so people are having to shell out massive amounts of money for something they may never use. The problem is, if they can’t afford it anymore, people may die.
Of course the company that manufactures it claims that people can just declare it on their insurance, but that means that we are ultimately still paying the higher price because the insurance companies are having to pay that price and guess who they pass the costs on to?
As a mom of a kid with food allergies, this is seriously infuriating. https://t.co/LbjiwNr6RV @MylanNews #allergies #foodallergy #epipen
— Erin Spain (@ErinSpainBlog) August 22, 2016
Source: EpiPen price increased about 500% since 2009 – Business Insider
