Epi Pen Crisis Case Study
The Epi-Pen Crisis
If you have an allergy, you most likely own an EpiPen. While watching CNBC, the best channel on TV for market news, an interview of Mylan CEO, Heather Bresch was airing where she attempted to justify the extreme price of an EpiPen. As she struggled, my parents, pharmacists of 20+ years, chuckled and said, “It’s all about the money.” Regardless of whether or not you have insurance, an EpiPen is relatively expensive for its nominal manufacturing cost. The cost of an EpiPen for consumers is unjust, and strips the peace of mind of people at risk. If an EpiPen is too expensive, the number of allergy related fatalities will rise frantically. When a patient consumes, comes in contact, or ingests an allergen, they suffer from …show more content…
Access to an EpiPen is getting more difficult for people of lower income. Parents are having to decide whether to pay bills or to protect their children from death by anaphylactic shock. An EpiPen is just “$1 or so worth of epinephrine that is used in the auto-injection device. That device itself is believed to cost just several more dollars to make.”3 The EpiPen is overpriced and restricts accessibility to those who may have inexpensive insurance, can’t afford the out of pocket costs not covered by insurance, or uninsured …show more content…
"That $608 is a list price," Bresch said. "What Mylan takes from that, our net sales is $274, so $137 per pen," she said, referring to the fact that EpiPens are sold in packages of two devices.”2 Heather Bresch has the ability to reduce the cost of the EpiPen, rather than offering discounts to eligible families. If the price of the EpiPen is reduced to a reasonable amount, people with inexpensive insurance and no insurance would be able to afford life-saving EpiPens. An idea that came to mind during the writing of the piece was the introduction of a trade-in program that would allow people, who own expired EpiPens, to replace their EpiPens at no cost to them. Understandably, Mylan is a company who needs to make a profit, therefore they have to charge for these products. However, at current prices, only the fortunate and well insured have access to a device that could be the difference between living another day, or dying because of having to choose between the safety of their child and making a mortgage
If you have an allergy, you most likely own an EpiPen. While watching CNBC, the best channel on TV for market news, an interview of Mylan CEO, Heather Bresch was airing where she attempted to justify the extreme price of an EpiPen. As she struggled, my parents, pharmacists of 20+ years, chuckled and said, “It’s all about the money.” Regardless of whether or not you have insurance, an EpiPen is relatively expensive for its nominal manufacturing cost. The cost of an EpiPen for consumers is unjust, and strips the peace of mind of people at risk. If an EpiPen is too expensive, the number of allergy related fatalities will rise frantically. When a patient consumes, comes in contact, or ingests an allergen, they suffer from …show more content…
Access to an EpiPen is getting more difficult for people of lower income. Parents are having to decide whether to pay bills or to protect their children from death by anaphylactic shock. An EpiPen is just “$1 or so worth of epinephrine that is used in the auto-injection device. That device itself is believed to cost just several more dollars to make.”3 The EpiPen is overpriced and restricts accessibility to those who may have inexpensive insurance, can’t afford the out of pocket costs not covered by insurance, or uninsured …show more content…
"That $608 is a list price," Bresch said. "What Mylan takes from that, our net sales is $274, so $137 per pen," she said, referring to the fact that EpiPens are sold in packages of two devices.”2 Heather Bresch has the ability to reduce the cost of the EpiPen, rather than offering discounts to eligible families. If the price of the EpiPen is reduced to a reasonable amount, people with inexpensive insurance and no insurance would be able to afford life-saving EpiPens. An idea that came to mind during the writing of the piece was the introduction of a trade-in program that would allow people, who own expired EpiPens, to replace their EpiPens at no cost to them. Understandably, Mylan is a company who needs to make a profit, therefore they have to charge for these products. However, at current prices, only the fortunate and well insured have access to a device that could be the difference between living another day, or dying because of having to choose between the safety of their child and making a mortgage