There is also the issue that the EpiPen does seem to be as close to ‘idiot proof’ as can be achieved - I’m not sure if the alternatives are. They may be - I’ve only ever seen the epiPens.
I’m a teacher who has had to administer these twice when students have started having severe allergic reactions (well, in one case, it was definitely a real reaction - in the other, I’m not 100% sure if it was a real reaction or a panicking kid but decided not to take the chance). When seconds count and it’s amateurs like me doing it, you want it to be simple.
naturalman1975 wrote: The EpiPen does seem to be as close to ‘idiot proof’ as can be achieved - I’m not sure if the alternatives are."
A recent competitor, Auvi-Q, first pocket sized 'speaking' auto-injector was even more 'idiot proof'...however, after mass recall in 2015 due to "potential [unsubstantiated] dosage inaccuracies', Sanofi no longer sells/produces Auvi-Q but....
Also consider...Senator Manchin's recent quirky indecision may have triggered vengeful Hillary's attack on this issue...
Oh, and Epinephrine can still be purchased at your local feed supply stores for significantly less... so it's not the cost of the drug driving the increase.
It’s amateurs like you who save lives.
Many years ago I was an EMT working duty at a family amusement park. We were not allowed to dispense medication of any kind for any reason. Some frantic people brought a 5 yr.old boy to us for treatment of allergy due to a bee sting. Within seconds of the sting, you could literally hear that child’s lungs filling with fluid.
The child was at the park with neighbor-friends, not parents. However, his care takers had an epi pen for him so we quickly grabbed the lady and drug her into the ambulance...almost literally as she was scared and reluctant. We had HER administer the med, and the child ended up needing both doses. We transported him to the hospital where the 5yr. Old was thrown onto a gurney, shoved into a room unexamined and left unattended so they could grill US about who administered the Eul epipen. They wanted to bring US up on charges of practicing medicine without a licence! They were determined that we had administered the med.
My husband had the oldstyle sting kit which was a syringe containing 2 doses of epinephrine. It was a divided dose so you had to turn the plunger after giving the first dose, so that the plunger would line up in the grooves in order to unlock the second dose. It took a bit of practice to figure this out and when seconds count, having to stop and read directions doesn’t cut it. Furthermore, it can be very scary sticking a needle into someone for the first time. The epi pen type gadget is quick and non intimidating, especially to someone in mortal fear of their life, and afraid of needles, too.
The $600 pricetag is non-justifiable and capitalizes unmercifully on fear. I am all for capitalism and making a reasonable profit, but in my opinion, being in business comes with a level of responsibility.
It is unreasonable to compare a life with cable TV. Things like TV are paid out a little at a time while the life saving medical device demands full payment up front. You may only need it once every ten years, but you have to keep it fresh and updated. If you are the average worker, you earn just a tad bit over what it takes to get some assistance with devices and medicines. All it takes to be turned away from qualifying help is a lousy dollar per year!
If you have to shell out of pocket for a lot of medical stuff, it can be impossible. I’ve been there. You can be forced to choose between an epi pen or 2 months worth of groceries. And if your kid needs a pair of shoes, school supplies, other medicines and doctor bills, it’s going to have to come from the grocery budget because that’s the most variable expense in the budget for many families...who also don’t qualify for food assistance eirher, much less cable TV.
The joker who wrote the article doesn’t have a clue as to how nearly impossible life is for those on the line between poverty and survival. These are the ones who bear the full brunt of the misery. They are in the millions now. They used to be few and far between.