Mylan’s EpiPen Price Gouging

This happens all the time with drug companies. One humira pen can cost over 3 grand without insurance and autoimmune diseases which it is used for are some if the fastest growing diseases in the world! Chrons disease, psoriasis, etc...It's all about fat pockets

 

The world would be a better place if sociopaths weren't given such power. And that's all big pharma has become. They don't give a fuck about your life. It's disgusting what peoole can get away with.

 

As a pharmacy tech for a retail chain, I'm not alarmed or surprised by any of this. Just severely disappointed.


Edit: wish shit didn't go down the way it did with auvi q . There are generic epinephrine shots that are damn near impossible to get in any regularity

 

As someone with a serious peanut allergy and an Epipen, this infuriates me.

 

Likewise. Been allergic to peanuts my whole life. Always have to carry one with me.

 

I didn't get a chance to read the full article yet but is the $600 after or before insurance coverage?

 

My wife developed an allergy to almonds out of nowhere. Our doctor prescribed her an EpiPen, and it was $300 with insurance. Unbelievable. Her reactions have been relatively minor so far (itching, rash), so she refused to fill it because that is not an insignificant amount of money. When she told our doctor he ended up sending her home with a free sample of medication and a syringe.

 

I'm sure before. Different insurance plans would result in different end prices, so hey probably wouldn't use a blanket $600 price if it were the post-insurance cost.

 

Yeah, that makes sense. I guess that would be the highest price you would have to pay without insurance. With a prescription and letter of medical necessity, you could probably get it for little to nothing with certain insurance's. Either way, that price increase is pretty ridiculous.

 

Ridiculous.

 

I'm allergic to bees, narcotics, and penicillin. I can't afford an EpiPen anymore even with insurance. It makes life scarier when you don't have one.

 

As someone who works in this industry, this sucks. Half the blame can go to the nonexistent competition in the market.

Auvi-Q, which was an Epipen competitor had manufacturing problems last year and completely killed the brand off. They were gaining more and more market share and at one point had Epipen reconsidering their pricing structure. Praying Auvi-Q is reintroduced to the market later this year/early next year.

 

I understand the hate from the public, but please tell me who "they" is. If you're talking about the board of directors and shareholders, maybe. I can tell you, the people who work on these products care deeply about impacting the future of science and medicine.

 

Posting this since I'm more familiar with insurance plans. Just information for those not dealing with this on a regular basis. 600 is the rough cost prior to insurance. Some many plans have it reduced to next to nothing however there are some that still have it sitting at the 400 plus range. Mylan have manufacturer coupons you can double bill with insurance but the most they typically save is 100. So a family with two children with severe allergies is still possible paying upwards of 800 plus for two children. It's awful. Typically where I am in new Jersey you either have families paying 0-50 per box of two or 400-500 per box of two.

Boxes can be split so if you need one for school and one for home use it is do able but then you also must remember to carry it with you at all times. And you can't leave it in places that can overheat and ruin them like in a hot car for extended periods of time. so really, your split between customers getting one or two boxes as well.

All of this is why I've opted out of pharmacy school in the long wrong. The industry is jacked up.

 

Typically when one is discussing "big pharma" they aren't referring to the people who create the drugs.

 

i know someone who works for a pharma company (i wonder who?) that have a very good and cheap treatment for one of the most common ailments of the lungs that they won't release because they won't make any money on it.

 

America is distinct in the way that it has allowed pharmaceutical companies to set their own prices and actually made laws which prevent the government from negotiating/putting in to place restrictions on price gouging. The idea that they cost a lot of money to develop is a red herring that is trotted out to divert attention away from the fact that this industry isn't regulated and it needs to be. Bottom line, they need to be reined in and given a minimum price at which a drug can be sold. It doesn't matter what their profits look like, people need their medicine and if a company is making a ten million dollar profit, rather than a billion dollar profit, that seems fine to me.

 

RT RT RT RT RT

 

Unreal

Mylan executives gave themselves raises as they hiked EpiPen prices

 

I think nothing highlights that better than the fact two people commenting on this post work in the Pharma industry. I just watched a Big Bang Theory ep (kill me) and thought it was funny that Penny was a Pharma rep, like its so alien to me that it's such a common job, with me living in the UK. The biggest shame of the whole system and healthcare system in general is that people don't seem to realise just how mentally fucked up it is, and defending it in some cases. I just.. yeah. My heart breaks for all of you guys when I read shit like this and I read how fucking real it is for you and your families. The UK and other places are far from perfect, but yeah, we have a good safety net at least.

 

How much do you guys think drugs should be. I get that many of them are life saving etc but do you guys realize how much money is spent on R&D? Not saying this is totally the reason for the price increase but you've got to be able to recoup those costs and all the failed drugs and compounds.

These articles always fail to mention that and act like all these companies are doing is lining their pockets for their private islands.

 

I don't see the point in working hard on a medicine that is unaffordable to the general population.

To me it says rich people's lives are more important than the people who can't afford it.

 

You have the right idea. If there was any competition, the price would definitely come down.

 

I don't think your argument applies to this situation. Epi pens have been around for 20+ years, I think they have all the r&d they need.