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The Cost of a Life Saving EpiPen Is Rising

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People who have severe allergies know the importance of an EpiPen. These auto-injectors are used to save lives when a person is suffering from anaphylaxis. According to EpiPen’s website, anaphylaxis “is a severe reaction to a specific allergen, or allergic trigger. Common triggers can include but are not limited to food, biting or stinging insects, medications and latex.”

Now, this essential medicine will be harder to purchase for many people due to rising costs. EpiPens manufactured by Mylan, a pharmaceutical company, have skyrocketed in price from around $100 to $600 in only seven years.

As ABC 13 notes, those who need an EpiPen often like to have more than one. It’s smart to have one dose at home and another kept at work or school. These costs are alienating consumers from purchasing what they need.

 ABC 13 reports that Mylan is pointing at health plans, saying, “An increasing number of people and families are enrolled in high deductible health plans. This shift has presented new challenges for consumers, and they are bearing more of the cost.”

Mylan produced 3.6 million EpiPens last year, which filled 87% of epinephrine auto-injector prescriptions. It’s estimated that the medicine in every pen only costs around $1.