Cash Price of Epipen ... INSANITY!!!!!

[ctmartin]

HI, all,

Haven't been here for a few months, so I am not sure if this has been discussed already but couldn't find it when I searched.  Calling around for epipen prices/expiration dates and have come to find in a year that prices have gone up almost $200! (and yes, this is with the $100 off coupon).  Has any one else noticed this?  I know many have insurance coverage and we are probably among the few whose cr@ppy insurance does not cover, but cannot understand how a 2 pack can cost $634!!!!!??  Is this because of a higher demand due to auvi Q recall? 

[momma2boys]

Do you have a CVS nearby? If so, ask them to run it through the new script save discount card. Here it brings it to about $350. Horrible still, but better.

[ctmartin]

Thank you so much, momma!  I will try it!  I just saw my walmart receipt from 11/13 and it was $250 for a 2 pk, and when I called yesterday it was $594!  I am not partial to any one pharmacy ... I just usually check around to find the latest expiration date.  I will report back later

[ctmartin]

Hi, Momma,

I don't know where you are, but when I type in epi pen 2 pk and my zip code, it's still coming up $525-$574!

[momma2boys]

Ugh that is ridiculous! Was that just cvs price or through script save? My other suggestion would be to call the company directly. The drug companies all have patient assistance programs and I know many people who end up getting their drugs free, mailed to them every 3 months, including advair inhailers and insulin pens.

[Penny]

Outrageous!  I just bought one here in New Zealand.  US$120 over the counter (single epi-pen) no prescription needed, so if you know anyone travelling here.... 

Crazy idea but it would be cheaper to fly to NZ if you need to buy a quantity. However, though they're OTC, you still have to talk to the pharmacist in order to purchase it.  Lately, airfare from LAX to NZ has been about US$800 roundtrip.

[spacecanada]

They cost around $100 each over the counter (no prescription) in Canada too. And people complain that is too expensive already... What happened to make the price skyrocket in such a short timeframe in America?  Aren't there any regulating bodies that control medication prices there?  In 2013 my 2-pack was close to $300 in America when I needed a refill there.

[CMdeux]

Aren't there any regulating bodies that control medication prices there?



Er... not really.

See:  Shkreli, Martin.

And, um--  welcome to unfettered free-market capitalism?   

[ctmartin]

spacecanada ... that is what i was going to ask next!  thank you!!  we will be in montreal and toronto in july ... thinking of having my daughter self-carry our two that are still good (they don't expire until sept- our other two expired two weeks ago) and refill in canada.  you really don't have to have a prescription there??

this is just my thought, but perhaps the recall on auvi-Q and the increased demand for the epipen caused the prices to go up?  as i said, when i paid in late 2013 it was $250 for a 2 pk.  now $634??  thieves!!!!!

[hedgehog]

Pharmaceuticals don't follow the normal laws of supply and demand.  The price is more of an effect of demand and need.   If a drug is needed, absolutely necessary, prices will remain high, because people must pay it or suffer the consequences, which may even include death.  Supposedly this is because it costs so much to develop the drugs, and they need to recoup that cost.  However, they will often sell the same drug, by the same manufacturer, for less in other countries.  So really, it is just gauging, because it is legal to do so.

And I have read (can't state for fact how true it is, as I don't remember where, but it seems to fit) that if a drug is needed by a small enough segment of the population, that they may stop manufacturing altogether, because there is no money to be made by it.  Even if that drug saves lives.  And they still hold onto the patent, so no one else can makeit either. 

For the most part I am all for free market, less govt interference with commerce.  However, when it is as morally reprehensible as this turn a profit at the public's expense, I wish the govt would step in and make some common sense laws.

[spacecanada]

No EpiPen prescription is required in Canada.  We get prescriptions so we can have the cost covered by third party medical insurance, but it isn't necessary if you intend on paying out of pocket.  Also, you have to declare them when going back over the border.

Note that buying medication here and bringing it over the border is frowned upon by many.  Though I doubt over the counter meds are the biggest problem.

[ctmartin]

Thanks everyone, especially spacecanada!  Not sure what we will do, but thankfully we have options now.  I found that even with the wellscript card AND the epi coupon, it was still $434 ... way too expensive ... especially when we have to buy 2 sets.  I also found a Canadian pharmacy online (Canadianpharmacymeds.com) and was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this?  I asked and they said it is not generic epi ... that it is epipen brand!  I have been paying out of pocket for years (we have a whole closet of expired pens, as we have been buying them for the last 8 years and have only used one, knock wood) and it has always been unreasonable.  I wish I had looked into alternatives sooner.  However, now it is not just unreasonable, it is unacceptable!

[Penny]

A thought:  I've heard that here in NZ, some people who need to carry epi ask the doc for a script for a vial of epi and a couple of syringes as it is SO much cheaper. Obviously it wouldn't work for kids but why not for adults? It's not difficult to give yourself an injection....

[spacecanada]

It's not difficult to give yourself an injection....

I beg to differ, particularly when you are delusional, spaced out, weak, and uncoordinated during a reaction.  Even an EpiPen becomes challenging to use.  Allerject was the best because it gave you audio instructions, but still hard to coordinate in a reaction.  (I have had the unfortunate experience of using both types of autoinjector on myself in a reaction.)  I would never choose the phial and syringe route if an autoinjector was available, regardless of cost.

CT - no generic exists in Canada. I would still opt to get one in person vs. online.  I don't know what customs /importlaws are involved and you may want to investigate that on your own before going the online (and shipped to America) route.

[SilverLining]

A thought:  I've heard that here in NZ, some people who need to carry epi ask the doc for a script for a vial of epi and a couple of syringes as it is SO much cheaper. Obviously it wouldn't work for kids but why not for adults? It's not difficult to give yourself an injection....

Disagree. I couldn't even walk a straight line when I needed epinephrine.

As SpaceCanada said, a prescription is not needed here to purchase unless you are getting it covered by insurance, or claiming on your income tax.