Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Cost of EpiPens How Much Do You Pay?

I really have to wonder about the cost of EpiPens. Why are they so expensive? Why do they cost less in Canada? I'm Canadian and I was quoted $99.99 for an adult EpiPen (May, 2015) that would be $1 -20$ after most insurance claims. Yet some Americans not qualified for insurance/ discount programs are charged around $300 or more Not everyone qualifies for the $0 co-pay offered. UPDATE: Another price increase happened in 2016.

In general I thought the costs of drugs have gone up because of costs of research, development, and testing before a drug can reach the market. The inventor of the EpiPen Sheldon Kaplan (who never got a penny in royalties) has largely been forgotten by history. The actual medicine in an EpiPen costs pennies.

The cost of the drug epineprine is really cheep as drugs go.

Why Are Drug Costs So High in the United States? The above link claims many companies spend more on marketing than research and development. The above article also talks about negotiations between insurers and drug companies in the section on Chicken or Egg Who is most to blame insurers or drug companies? was most interesting!

Anaphylactic Sticker Shock
How Smart Marketing Transformed EpiPen Into a Billion Dollar Product

Mylan’s EpiPen price increases are Valeant-like in size, Shkreli-like in approach

Absurdly Expensive EpiPens Are Driving Families to Dangerous Lengths

Here's why EpiPen prices have skyrocketed

Patented Medicine Prices Review Board help keep prices lower in Canada (for most drugs). My understanding is that some States have tried similar things, but nothing has come of it.

See Also:
History of Allergies
Allergens in Drugs and Over-the-Counter Medications and Treatments

From Avoiding Milk Protein:
Order Nut Free Food Products From Canada and Buying Epipen(s) In Canada

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi, i'm an american and we have health insurance. our copay, or the amount we pay, is 50 dollars for a two pack. Epi sent us a copay free card, which is like a coupon, so we don't actually pay anything for epi pens.