Epi-Pen Cost

Last week I found out that I will need to carry an Epi-Pen with me at all times. It was a shock, but not as big as the price tag. The price is 400 and there is no generic available at this time. We can afford it , but I wonder about the families with children that can't. This isn't a rant about healthcare, I just think we can do better.

Saw a story on this recently. The pharma company has jacked the price up, without any apparent reason other than they can.

I hope you never need to use your pen.

I've been wondering about that. I saw something on the news saying the price went up 400%. My daughter needs one I hope hers doesn't expire very soon. That's highway robbery.

Years ago I used to carry several as part of my kit. I don't remember the price being a concern. Great stuff and will snap someone out of anaphalactic shock in heartbeat.

Wow. Just wow. My daughter has to carry one of these because of a severe nut allergy. She either gets it free or pays the standard UK prescription charge which equates to about $11, I can't be sure. If I had to take a guess as to how much one cost for real, I'd have said between $40-50. It's a real shock to realise that it's about ten times that amount.

$400 seems high. A buddy of mine had to get two and they were $100 each. Maybe it's the difference in insurance. His biggest complaint was that they have a one year shelf life so if you don't need it, it's that money down the drain. I'm sorry to hear you have to carry one with you. They can be lifesaving and I am thankful you can afford it to be that lifesaver if you need it. I agree about the financially struggling, what are they supposed to do to potentially save a child's life. $400 is tough. That's $.19 an hour of your wage each year that could go towards food on the table, clothes, packages at Christmas. It really bothers me too so you aren't alone.

G-Dogg said:

It's a real shock to realise that it's about ten times that amount.

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Depends on what country you live in. We spend a heck of a lot more on most medications than the rest of the world.

You can get them for around $115 if you order from a reputable online Canadian pharmacy but I would ask my doctor if he/she had any samples first.

I heard they contain about $1.00 of medicine inside. It's criminal the prices they can get away with charging.

Epi-Pen is a brand. There are products like [FONT=arial, sans-serif]Adrenaclick that do the same thing for a lot less money. Adrenaline has been around for a long time. It is very cheap. What you are paying for is a branded delivery system. When you look at other options you can lower your price of the drug. [/FONT]

kwk285 said:

Epi-Pen is a brand. There are products like Adrenaclick that do the same thing for a lot less money. Adrenaline has been around for a long time. It is very cheap. What you are paying for is a branded delivery system. When you look at other options you can lower your price of the drug.

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Indeed. But you have to admit that delivery system is a field tested no brainer. Adrenaclick has relatively the same delivery system.

August West said:

Indeed. But you have to admit that delivery system is a field tested no brainer. Adrenaclick has relatively the same delivery system.

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I agree. I work in the pharmaceutical distribution industry. Our focus is supplying drugs to independent pharmacies at competitive rates to allow them to compete with the chains. When we see expensive options we looks at sources that offer AB rates drugs to substitute.

There are always cases where there are drugs that are priced way out of line. Add to that insurance rates are going way up mainly due to a larger pool of sick people that haven't had insurance for a long time. With all that going on, I feel one key thing that an individual can do is to take more control of their health care to see if there are other options available that can address their health concern.

Some of the options may take more work to use. I think that if more people look at other options, this can help companies like ours to be able to get drugs at lower costs to supply our customer pharmacies.

Thanks for the professional insight, Kyle.

Epipen has 90% of the market on a 50 year old product. Price has increased 400% between 2008 and now in the US. Prettily heavily in the news lately. Market forces will correct it in the fullness of time. Sadly people are suffering now in the interim. Mylan is the company who produce Epipen. Sounds like another Turing and the infamous Martin Shkreli. I just looked up Martin shkreli and he is actually speaking out in defense of Mylan.

Seems pretty awful.

Just saw it on the news tonight. From the WSMV website (Nashville news)

"In May of 2014, EpiPen was priced around $300 ... Today that price is closer to $600," said Josh Petringer, who is a pharmacist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

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"$739 for a two-packet from a pharmacy just a couple of blocks away from Vanderbilt," Peebles said.

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Shameless price gouging, IMO. Maybe the publicity will cause the company to reconsider.

ther is a company that can help get folks who cant afford it help with the manufacturer.S.C.B.N. is the place.they help with my insulin and it went from almost $800 to $50 a month,while i wait on my disability.

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a rough idea of what these things might cost to manufacture? It cant be too much.

Absolutely ridiculous.

Just heard on the radio that a Senator is suggesting that Congress investigate this. I hope they can do some good.

Legion said:

Out of curiosity, does anyone have a rough idea of what these things might cost to manufacture? It cant be too much.

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It's a proprietary delivery system. The drug inside is not patented. That and the epipen name allow the company to set the price that it does. Another company could sell epinephrine using a different injector.