It has just come to the attention of the public that the price of the EpiPen, which individuals with allergies need in order to survive certain fatal exposures, has dramatically increased between the years 2007 and 2016. Where one Pen could be purchased for the price of $57 in 2007, now the monopolistic manufacturer Mylan has increased the price to $600 per two pens. The current running US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has recently stated that she will address the rising cost of healthcare once she is elected, that includes the cost of the EpiPen. However, it has just come to light that this very monopoly has donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for political influence (i.e the protection of their monopoly on the EpiPen). If this company had not been protected by politicians, and the market for EpiPens had been subject to competition, one could purchase the very same quality Pen for under $50.

Originally this product was actually produced by Merck for the US military in order to cure soldiers who had been subjected to toxic nerve agents inside war zones. At that time the Pen only cost $7 on the market. However, in 2007 Mylan purchased the generic drugs division from Merck (the division that produced the Pen), thereby making them the sole manufacturer of the Pen, the drug price then began to skyrocket as a result. However, what is unique about this situation is that there are no patent rights to the production of this scientific technology. The way in which this company has been able to maintain their advantage and remove all other competitors from the checker board is through political favoritism. This is yet another tale of cronyism and another example of how individuals could be better off if there were a little more competition within this market.