Surging Prices For EpiPens Worry Allergy Sufferers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Recent reports about the skyrocketing cost of EpiPens – injectors used to treat severe allergic reactions – has the people who rely on them getting worried.
"If I get stung, I have 20 minutes, and my windpipe will close up," said 47-year old Kevin Cain. He's allergic to bee stings, and he said he keeps an EpiPen at work, at home, and in his car.
Cain said the last time he bought them, his portion of the bill was $40 each. Now there's talk of EpiPens costing $600 a pair. Cain said he doesn't know yet what that would mean for his out-of-pocket costs, but he's worried.
"That's crazy, because it's just ridiculous that someone's going to have to pay for all that, and who's going to pay for it? It's going to come out of the consumer's pocket," he said.
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Virginia Dickens, also allergic to bee stings, said she's also concerned about the continued price increases.
"I'm semi-retired and I don't really have an income right now. So that kind of out-of-pocket would be extraordinary," she said.
Dickens said EpiPens have saved her life several times, including one when she lost consciousness even after getting a shot from an EpiPen.
"I got into a yellow jacket nest that was in a bush, and I was stung probably 15-plus times," she said.
Elizabeth Handler and her 10-year-old son Billy both need EpiPens for allergies, yet the family's insurance won't cover the entire cost, leaving them to pay between $300 and $400 for each pen.
"All of those together would be more than our mortgage. And it's not feasible," Handler said.
Dr. Sai Nimmagada, a pediatric allergist, sees the stress the Handler families and others like them have, especially now that school has re-started.
"I have families that have two or three kids that have food allergies so each child is $600, multiply that by three that's $1800 a year for a medication that you may never use but you have to have it just in case," Nimmagada says.
Cain said he's not confident Congress will do anything more than posture about EpiPen prices.
Mylan, the drug company that manufactures the life-saving medicine, has little competition as it dominates the market for the EpiPen.
In an attempt to explain the big price jump, the company says "...it's changed over time to better reflect important produce features and the value the product provides. We've made a significant investment to support the device."
