Oy. As someone who carries two of those damn things (grumble grumble Peanut allergy grumble grumble) and is a very conservative eater, this is not good.
Luckily, I haven't had to use one of them in like 8 months.
EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
261–270 of 367 posts
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#262The adrenaclick generic is much cheaper than the epipen, with or without insurance. Although technically different epinephrine auto injectors cannot be substituted (you can only be prescribed the one written by your doctor, or its generic equivalent), practically speaking the only difference between the epipen and the adrenaclick design is the instructions for use. I would hope there isn't a case of doctors being una…
Thank you for mentioning adrenaclick. Generics have been completely missing from the public debate. While epipen price gouging is very real, and a problem, there is one short term solution for allergy sufferers: demand an Rx for the generic. They are under $200 (source: checkyourmeds.com). Vote with your wallet!! Looks like the differences are: extra safety cap and Epipen brand has an auto-retracting needle. https://…
Great business to be in, attach an auto injection mechanism to maybe $5 worth of syringe and epinephrine.
Then undercut your competition by over 60%. I hope they do well. If more generic manufacturers get in on this or the patent expires we might see this go down to a more reasonable <$50 price, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#263Earlier quoted context omitted.
That second discussion got heated quite fast. I agree with the downvoters though. 3D printing a medical device is not something to take lightly. Edit: Here's why I agree. You download this design from the internet, and 3D print the parts. You then assemble it. Awesome! Some time later, you get an allergic reaction. You use the pen, but it fails to work correctly. Who's responsible? The designer? You (if you're alive)…
Dying because you can't afford a device you need is also not something to take lightly. It may not be a good idea, but blame should lie with the manufacturer for raising the price to such ridiculous levels.
Supply and demand amiright? Otherwise we might be branded as gasp socialists!
There really isn't any good answer to this, and there will be losers in either scenario.
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#264Meanwhile, in single-payer Britain the NHS pays £26 ($35). https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respira...
You know what's weird about this situation is that often I've been told by people here in the US that the price NHS and other single payer systems pay is only possible because we here in the US supposedly pay for it at the free market price. I don't believe that myself since it wouldn't make much sense to say that the prices would plummet to such a degree as to be unprofitable. But I do wonder how much of the price would be affected if every country in the world were under single payer systems. Would it be even marginally higher? Would it be possibly lower for all? I'm not sure. But I would love to see someone analyze this to see if this is statement I keep hearing is 100% bunk.
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dying because you can't afford a device you need is also not something to take lightly. It may not be a good idea, but blame should lie with the manufacturer for raising the price to such ridiculous levels.
Supply and demand amiright? Otherwise we might be branded as gasp socialists! There really isn't any good answer to this, and there will be losers in either scenario.
Then why are they making hundreds of thousands of epipens? Sounds like they should make like 100 a year and auction those suckers off. Less material and capital to manufacture, same profits.
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#266Meanwhile, in single-payer Britain the NHS pays £26 ($35). https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respira...
Same thing with Asthma inhalers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/the-soaring-cost-of-a-s...
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#267Meanwhile, in single-payer Britain the NHS pays £26 ($35). https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respira...
You know what's weird about this situation is that often I've been told by people here in the US that the price NHS and other single payer systems pay is only possible because we here in the US supposedly pay for it at the free market price. I don't believe that myself since it wouldn't make much sense to say that the prices would plummet to such a degree as to be unprofitable. But I do wonder how much of the price w…
Insurance companies are consistently profitable, it's hard to look at that profit as anything other than a net drain. Especially when a public healthcare option was not included in the US specifically because these companies could not compete.
Looking at direct and indirect costs insurance adds ~20+% to healthcare spending. Remember insurance commercials for example are yet another cost.
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#268A friend of mine has a child with an allergy and was visiting Turkey. A family member of his (in Turkey) is a physician, and said that in Turkey nobody uses epi pens and allergies are generally never the cause of visits to the ER.
Is this true? What's going on?
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#269Meanwhile, in single-payer Britain the NHS pays £26 ($35). https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respira...
You know what's weird about this situation is that often I've been told by people here in the US that the price NHS and other single payer systems pay is only possible because we here in the US supposedly pay for it at the free market price. I don't believe that myself since it wouldn't make much sense to say that the prices would plummet to such a degree as to be unprofitable. But I do wonder how much of the price w…
It is possible that both can be true. The price for medicine is cheaper because you have a single entity, the NHS, negotiating for a large group of people. On the the other hand, it is possible that we subsidize the development of new medicine to an extent. An epipen would otherwise exist regardless because it is a requirement for many people. More advanced medicine that requires a large capital investment for research and development could be another story.
Re: EpiPen Price Rise Sparks Concern for Allergy Sufferers
#270Someone might reasonably wonder why a federal task force is required to investigate "price gouging" for an item that contains under $10 of materials and is not mechanically complex.
Why wouldn't an entrepreneur simply introduce a competing epi-pen design and bring it to market for $300 (for example) and undercut the price being charged by Mylan?
We're told to hate the Martin Shkrelis of the world, and to resend the Mylans, but the truth is that our system prevents price competition because it is designed to protect established firms. This is why many established firms and "industry leaders" strongly supported the affordable care act.