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| EpiPens by Mylar |
Now believe me, I'm always happy to give our unused pens to the doctor's office (although we first inject them in an orange for practice before turning them in). I'd rather pay and not have to use the epinephrine, than have a medical emergency requiring their use; however, with no competition, no matter how high the price may go, many of us are going to pay it.
We must. It's the only thing we've got in an emergency.
Things may change this fall when Sanofi introduces Auvi-Q and again in 2015 when Teva puts out a generic EpiPen (pending FDA approval).
We'll see. I was hopeful that Twinject may have been a competitor to the EpiPen in terms of pricing, but that hasn't happened. In this NY Times article, "Tiny Lifesaver for a Growing Worry",
an analyst at Cowen & Company questioned whether
parents would be willing to switch to a different brand in such
life-or-death situations, saying, “parents may want the real thing".
So, I'm wondering...are you willing to try something new or are you sticking with the tried and true EpiPen? Are you excited about Auvi-Q? Are you buying fewer EpiPens as the prices have increased?
2 comments:
I always thought the price we paid for EpiPens was more a function of our health insurance coverage than of market competition. When my son was first diagnosed 3 years ago, we paid $25 per EpiPen, so $50 for a set of 2. Since then, we have changed health insurance providers, and we now pay $25 for a 2-pack of EpiPens.
Frankly, I'm just happy that we have insurance, otherwise the retail price - as listed on the pharmacy paperwork from 3 years go - would be $149.20!
As for the Auvi-Q, I admit I am pretty excited about it. My son is only 4 years old right now, but I am already imagining how allergies will play a role in his daily life when he's older, and I think discretely carrying around the Auvi-Q will be a lot easier than carrying around two bulky EpiPens. Also, I like the voice instructions on the Auvi-Q. Still, honestly, I probably won't ask for the Auvi-Q myself until it's been available for a few years, and is as trusted by the allergy community as EpiPens.
Our co-pay for epi pens was $100 per twin pack. Since then we have gotten the boys on state insurance with no co-pays designed for kids with disabilities. It is the Cadillac of insurance.
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