U.S. Congress members demand investigation of $100 price hike of lifesaving EpiPens
84 replies, posted
[quote]EpiPen maker Mylan has become the new boogeyman of the pharmaceutical industry.
Following complaints from consumers that the company had hiked the price of the emergency auto-injector by $100 in recent months for no obvious reason, members of Congress are calling for an investigation. The price has increased 450 percent since 2004, when a dose cost $100 in today's dollars, to its current price of more than $600. Many consumers hadn't noticed the gradual rise in price, however, because the company often only added in 9 to 15 percent each time and insurance companies had made up the difference. But with recent changes in the deductible structure and co-pays for some health plans that have put more of the cost for drugs on consumers, many families have been hit with sticker shock.
Amie Vialet De Montbel, for instance, found that the two 2-packs of EpiPens she needed for her son with a milk allergy would cost $1,212. “I don’t even pay that much for my mortgage," she told Stat News. She left without buying the medicine. Likewise Jackie Davis of Newport News, Va. was quoted $1,500 for three 2-packs of EpiPens -- and that price includes a discount, according to USA Today. "For any kind of necessary medicine, you shouldn't have to pay anything," Davis said.
The prescription-only EpiPen delivers a rapid shot of epinephrine, a medication that can counteract a severe allergic reaction. It is standard issue for millions of Americans. Many school systems stockpile it, and any parent who has a child with a peanut allergy usually has several stashed at their homes and in various purses and backpacks.[/quote]
[url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/08/23/u-s-lawmakers-demand-investigation-of-100-price-hike-of-life-saving-epipens/[/url]
Bonus: Company execs gave themselves raises while hiking the price
[quote]Proxy filings show that from 2007 to 2015, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch's total compensation went from $2,453,456 to $18,931,068, a 671 percent increase. During the same period, the company raised EpiPen prices, with the average wholesale price going from $56.64 to $317.82, a 461 percent increase, according to data provided by Connecture.[/quote]
[url]http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/mylan-execs-gave-themselves-raises-they-hiked-epipen-prices-n636591[/url]
One of those rare times when Congress comes together and agrees on something.
I guess there aren't any competing, generic medicines? You need competition in the market to ensure that this kind of thing can't happen.
[QUOTE=sb27;50937790]I guess there aren't any competing, generic medicines? You need competition in the market to ensure that this kind of thing can't happen.[/QUOTE]
The article addresses this later on
[quote]So now there’s only the EpiPen and Adrenaclick, a generic version. The Adrenaclick is much cheaper. Consumer Reports says it found the device for $142 at Walmart and Sam’s Club with a coupon, as opposed to the current $600 to $700 price for EpiPens.
But many doctors are reluctant to recommend the generic version because the steps you have to take to inject the drug are different, and most people, including teachers and nurses, are trained on EpiPens. You wouldn’t want them fumbling around for directions in an emergency when seconds could matter.[/quote]
[QUOTE=Perrine;50937806]The article addresses this later on[/QUOTE]
Ah okay. The website wouldn't let me read the rest of the article.
Hopefully with EpiPen shooting themselves in the foot like that, that more and more people start switching over and getting used to operating Adrenaclick.
Or we could just get rid of the silly patents system and let competitors build whatever the hell they want. That would solve the problem.
[QUOTE=AlienCreature;50937859]Or we could just get rid of the silly patents system and let competitors build whatever the hell they want. That would solve the problem.[/QUOTE]
eh.... reform would be great but I wouldn't get rid of patenting all together
also congress should investigate why its [I]only[/I] sold in double packs (or over 1200$ per 'dose' for a consumer)
i don't expect anything to come of this, they were investigating martin skreisi for over inflating the price of life saving drugs before and they haven't done shit. Republicans in congress are too involved in kicking americans off of health coverage than they are on controlling drug prices.
[QUOTE=AlienCreature;50937859]Or we could just get rid of the silly patents system and let competitors build whatever the hell they want. That would solve the problem.[/QUOTE]
Careful how you open that floodgate.
[QUOTE=Perrine;50937806]The article addresses this later on[/QUOTE]
from what i've read elsewhere, Adrenaclick isn't even on the market anymore. it was taken off for recall
[QUOTE=Sableye;50937927]from what i've read elsewhere, Adrenaclick isn't even on the market anymore. it was taken off for recall[/QUOTE]
IIRC a lot of them were taken back for recall, which obviously causes trust issues when you're choosing a product to save your/a loved one's life. They're still on the market but not really bought at all.
They need to fix this shit right NOW. This whole fucked up mess of a pharmaceutical system. A few months ago my mom went to pick up her monthly script for IBS meds and the price jumped from $90-100 per bottle to $1200 per month/bottle within a month. There's no fucking way we can afford that, that's more than 30% of our total income for the month. She hasn't been able to eat normally ever since because if she eats more than half a sandwich at one time, she spends the next 4 hours evacuating her internals into the toilet.
It's a lot more than just obscure meds that an asshole hedge fund manager decides to hike the price of, it's most semi-niche meds in general really. There's no logical reason why a box of insulin pens should be $750, insulin is mass produced in big vats via genetically engineered e. coli, which isn't exactly a rare material. Sure research costs should be recovered because they're apeshit expensive to develop, but my god by now shit like insulin and the epipen should've paid for that by now. I honestly think there should be a profit limit over material and manufacturing cost, say 100-200% which is very generous, after R&D costs are recouped. That way you can't charge 700 fucking dollars for a pill that costs 0.005c to make.
whats lovely is that there are people in this country who cannot afford these life saving drugs and medications, but simultaneously bemoan anyone who tries to make these life saving drugs and medications affordable
Based on what I've read, the government regulations specific to this type of medication make it almost impossible to create a competitor that doesn't run up against EpiPen's copyrights.
[QUOTE=Sableye;50937923]also congress should investigate why its [I]only[/I] sold in double packs (or over 1200$ per 'dose' for a consumer)[/QUOTE]
One is usually not enough in most cases. Chances are that you need more than one shot, because it only gives you enough to get to where you can call for help. It doesn't get you that much extra time.
[editline]23rd August 2016[/editline]
The amount that a person needs can also change quite a bit. Some people might need up to four shots on them since the reactions can be so quick.
[QUOTE=zombini;50937942]They need to fix this shit right NOW. This whole fucked up mess of a pharmaceutical system. A few months ago my mom went to pick up her monthly script for IBS meds and the price jumped from $90-100 per bottle to $1200 per month/bottle within a month. There's no fucking way we can afford that, that's more than 30% of our total income for the month. She hasn't been able to eat normally ever since because if she eats more than half a sandwich at one time, she spends the next 4 hours evacuating her internals into the toilet.
It's a lot more than just obscure meds that an asshole hedge fund manager decides to hike the price of, it's most semi-niche meds in general really. There's no logical reason why a box of insulin pens should be $750, insulin is mass produced in big vats via genetically engineered e. coli, which isn't exactly a rare material. Sure research costs should be recovered because they're apeshit expensive to develop, but my god by now shit like insulin and the epipen should've paid for that by now. I honestly think there should be a profit limit over material and manufacturing cost, say 100-200% which is very generous, after R&D costs are recouped. That way you can't charge 700 fucking dollars for a pill that costs 0.005c to make.[/QUOTE]
This is what happens when you let capitalism rain free and allow for companies make a buck off of your continued wellbeing, or in some cases survival. It bewilders me that any nation can allow such a system to exist.
[QUOTE=sltungle;50938051]This is what happens when you let capitalism rain free and allow for companies make a buck off of your continued wellbeing, or in some cases survival. It bewilders me that any nation can allow such a system to exist.[/QUOTE]
What? No. This is what happens when the market is so incredibly regulated that creating real competition isn't feasible.
There's a reason this only happens in markets that the government has high levels of regulations in.
Even better. Their CEO is the daughter of Joe Manchin, one of our current senators.
[quote]But many doctors are reluctant to recommend the generic version because the steps you have to take to inject the drug are different, and most people, including teachers and nurses, are trained on EpiPens. You wouldn’t want them fumbling around for directions in an emergency when seconds could matter.[/quote]
Yes because its so hard to pull off two big blue end caps then ram the red end into the person having the reaction, clearly so much more of a problem than EpiPen where its remove one blue cap then jab, fucking hell they work exactly the same other than one has an extra cap over the injector.
[QUOTE=sgman91;50938065]What? No. This is what happens when the market is so incredibly regulated that creating real competition isn't feasible.
There's a reason this only happens in markets that the government has high levels of regulations in.[/QUOTE]
And the context of this response is the exact issue. You can't see past the idea of the market. Americans have it so deeply ingrained into them that it's unamerican and unpatriotic to not let the market make its way into absolutely every possible avenue of money making - that it's a kick in the balls to the American dream to not let people capitalise on everything - that you reject the concept of allowing the government to be the ones to control drug supplies and instead put it to the market itself.
[I]Anything[/I] healthcare related should ultimately have a publicly controlled and publicly funded option that's paid for through taxation, and it should be, as best as possible, calibrated to exactly break even in terms of expenditure. The continued wellbeing or survival of people shouldn't be dictated almost exclusively by people who make money out of the deal; people are required for the society to function, so the society has a responsibility to keep the people healthy for it to function properly.
[QUOTE=Sableye;50937980]whats lovely is that there are people in this country who cannot afford these life saving drugs and medications, but simultaneously bemoan anyone who tries to make these life saving drugs and medications affordable[/QUOTE]
If you're referring to universal healthcare, it'd probably actually make these hikes even worse. Obamacare already has accelerated these hikes in price because of the fact that most people are able to get it with insurance, which generates more sales from coverage(thus guaranteeing them business indirectly), and that "justifies" hiking up the price to them. So how do we fix this? Have the FDA approve any significant price hikes based on statistical evidence, and if it seems falsified by any means, they get investigated or fined. How do we know this system won't end up being useless due to corruption? Not sure, but a possible solution is to give those who issue fines to companies a percentage of the fine in their next paycheck.
[QUOTE=sltungle;50938129]And the context of this response is the exact issue. You can't see past the idea of the market. Americans have it so deeply ingrained into them that it's unamerican and unpatriotic to not let the market make its way into absolutely every possible avenue of money making - that it's a kick in the balls to the American dream to not let people capitalise on everything - that you reject the concept of allowing the government to be the ones to control drug supplies and instead put it to the market itself.
[I]Anything[/I] healthcare related should ultimately have a publicly controlled and publicly funded option that's paid for through taxation, and it should be, as best as possible, calibrated to exactly break even in terms of expenditure. The continued wellbeing or survival of people shouldn't be dictated almost exclusively by people who make money out of the deal; people are required for the society to function, so the society has a responsibility to keep the people healthy for it to function properly.[/QUOTE]
The market is actually half-working in this situation. EpiPen sells for $600 while a generic competitor sells for $148. Less regulation would create more of that healthy competition.
[QUOTE=space1;50938146]If you're referring to universal healthcare, it'd probably actually make these hikes even worse.[/QUOTE]
Universal Healthcare has failed in every country it's been tried in. In fact, America is the only modern western country with a functioning Healthcare system. They don't even have ambulances in Europe!
[sp]this post brought to you buy sarcasm and hyperbole[/sp]
The fact that they hike the prices on medicine that they hold the patent thus ensuring no competition, to which said medicine people have to rely on is just well...evil, but moreover it's sorta racketeering.
As I've said before, it astounds me that people can justify the monetisation of healthcare because "muh free market" when it allows blatant abuses such as this. Of all the stupid, futule causes that get fought over in the states, I'm surprised this isn't one of them.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;50938226]Universal Healthcare has failed in every country it's been tried in. In fact, America is the only modern western country with a functioning Healthcare system. They don't even have ambulances in Europe!
[sp]this post brought to you buy sarcasm and hyperbole[/sp][/QUOTE]
Woah dude, what a well detailed counter-argument that isn't a complete strawman and completely defeats everything I have said through sound reasoning reached by thinking critically. All of these things you clearly are capable of. How smart and intelligent of you.
Insincere and superficial remarks aside, who's seriously going to pay for it?
[URL]http://interactive.taxfoundation.org/business-in-america/#The-US-Has-the-Least-Competitive-Corporate-Tax-Rate-in-the-OECD[/URL]
[QUOTE=sgman91;50938065]What? No. This is what happens when the market is so incredibly regulated that creating real competition isn't feasible.
There's a reason this only happens in markets that the government has high levels of regulations in.[/QUOTE]
what's the alternative? let anyone at all make and market drugs?
No, it's not regulations. It's patents you dorks.
[QUOTE=Sableye;50937980]whats lovely is that there are people in this country who cannot afford these life saving drugs and medications, but simultaneously bemoan anyone who tries to make these life saving drugs and medications affordable[/QUOTE]
S-s-socialist!!!
Seriously, I've got two incredibly lethal allergies that could kill the shit out of me, and I can't afford these things. Guess I'm just going to die.
[QUOTE=Headhumpy;50938692]what's the alternative? let anyone at all make and market drugs?[/QUOTE]
In the case of life-saving medicine, prevent sellers from patenting or copyrighting things such as how to use the product? That was the main reason why Adrenaclick or whatever was not recommended by doctors, because most people are familiar with how EpiPens work but only EpiPen is allowed to be used in that specific way. Adrenaclick has to necessarily use a more-complicated method, because the government says that they have to.
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