"Do you have to pay that much for your EpiPens?" A sorority sister asked me as we sat in the caf eating lunch. "That's insane."
People without allergies may not know what she was referring to. All of this EpiPen chatter, however, is super relevant to me. I've lived with a life-threatening peanut allergy since I was an infant. Over the last few years, I've developed additional (but less serious) allergies to tree nuts, pine nuts, and shellfish.
I've been aware of my allergies and the distance between my EpiPen and myself for as long as I can remember. Every year before school started, I'd go to my annual appointment with the allergist and pick up two prescriptions for EpiPens--one for my mom or me to carry and one to drop off with the school nurse. I used EpiPen brand epinephrine injectors for years, which are marker shaped shots that I have to receive if (and when) I ingest a food containing peanuts. They're bulky, but I grew up trained to buy purses that were big enough to hold a set of two. During my sophomore year of high school, I switched to an Auvi-Q epinephrine injection. The Auvi-Qs were smaller, square cartridges that would talk people through administering the medicine by a recording in the device. It gave my mom and me peace of mind to know that people could be guided through the process if, God forbid, I were ever unable to administer the medication myself.
In Fall of 2015, the Auvi-Q was recalled for containing an inaccurate dosage of epinephrine. I had switched back to the EpiPen before the recall because of my insurance, but I couldn't have imagined getting the news that the medication that I carried to save my life contained an inaccurate dosage. Other epinephrine injectors are not accepted by all insurance companies, giving EpiPen a monopoly on the market.
In the last few months, it has been revealed that Mylan, the producer of the EpiPen, has increased the price of the EpiPen about 450%, according to this report by Slate. Just over a decade ago, the EpiPen was priced at about $50. In 2016, the EpiPen sells for $300. Without a specific insurance company or coupon set, millions of people are forced to pay these outrageous prices for an essential medication. According to reports like this one, EpiPens contain "$1 or so worth of epinephrine," and EpiPen competitors can produce their products for much less than the pre-inflation prices of EpiPens.
It's important to fight for fair pricing for EpiPens, and to continue to educate the general population on how to use the EpiPen in case of an emergency. Even if you don't have an allergy, you could be put in a situation in which you would need to use an EpiPen on someone who does. In a situation where this medication is necessary, it seems absolutely ridiculous that a company would charge hundreds of dollars for a prescription that costs them a fraction of a percentage of that to produce.
I have never used my EpiPens, although I've had the medication administered to me in the hospital and I've been treated for multiple reactions. I am, however, forced to continue to purchase EpiPens as a preventative measure. In the near future, I hope to see more FDA-approved epinephrine injectors that are covered by major insurance companies. I also hope to see the price of Mylan's EpiPen decrease as more information is exposed about their prices. While there are lots of people who mindlessly scroll by these headlines, the dialogue about EpiPens continue to be important to the millions of people and their families that are affected by Mylan.
