In recent news, EpiPens have been getting a lot of attention. You’re probably asking “Why? Who cares about some medication?” I’ll tell you who cares, the 8 million Americans who have food allergies. Add their loved ones and now you’re looking at over 10 million people.
EpiPens are legitimate life savers. For individuals with severe allergies, an EpiPen can be the difference between life and death. Let’s say you are allergic to shellfish. You’re eating a spring roll at your favorite restaurant and you suddenly start feeling itchy or your lips start to swell or maybe you feel dizzy. These symptoms are no joke. Immediately, an EpiPen must be administered. Accidents happen. A food labeled “Peanut Free” or “Contains No Seafood” is mismarked. Someone eats lunch and doesn’t wash their hands. These everyday mishaps can turn an individual’s body into a total war zone.
An EpiPen is administered into one’s thigh and releases a drug called epinephrine to treat an anaphylaxis reaction before one can be seen by medical professionals. Anyone with an EpiPen knows that you must carry two with you at all times. You probably have a stash in your home. Your parents have them. If the child is in school, the nurse’s office has a few. You can’t leave the house without it. Packing for a trip? Forget it. You have the whole pharmacy’s worth in your suitcase. So since you need so many, they’re accessible, right?
Wrong. EpiPen prices have spiked and are at an all-time high. Now, it’s over $300 for just one EpiPen. Since you need to carry two at all times (and since they come in packs of two), you’re looking at over $600. Why? Mylan (the brains behind EpiPen) is blaming health insurance but the real reason is unknown. Now, the federal government is looking into the real reason and how the price issue can be resolved.
So, why should we care about this? EpiPen’s prices were never this high before. So, why now? Where’s this money going? To Mylan executives? Who knows. More importantly, we should care because lives are at stake. The cost of these lifesaving devices is astronomical. It should not take over $600 to save a life. Parents shouldn’t have to toss and turn at night, wondering how they’ll be able to put food on the table and pay for their child’s EpiPen. Today it’s the prices of EpiPens rising- what will it be tomorrow? His insulin? Her inhaler? The list goes on and on. That is why we should care.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/business/epipen-maker-mylan-preventative-drug-campaign.html