Some members of Congress are demanding more information on why the price of a potentially lifesaving medical device has skyrocketed.
EpiPens- injectable devices containing epinephrine- are used to ward off potentially fatal allergic reactions. The price has surged in recent years. A two-dose package cost less than $60 nine years ago.
Cyndi Gowan of Brighton has a 13-year old son with severe nut allergies. Her most recent refill for an EpiPen prescription cost more than $500 on her family's high deductible insurance plan. Fortunately, her family can afford it.
"It absolutely requires budgeting to do so. It's the beginning of the school year; there are a lot of costs associated with getting ready to go back to school. It makes me concerned about other families who are also on those high deductible plans who may not have the same kind of disposable income that we do."
Mona Chitre , chief pharmacy officer at Excellus Blue Cross/Blue Shield, says the soaring cost of the EpiPens, manufactured by the Mylan pharmaceutical company, comes as the medical device is nearing the end of its patent life.
"As far as we can tell, there has been no advancement in the drug; there's been no shortage of raw materials or device enhancement. Everything is pretty much the same over the past number of years; it's simply the price that has gone up."
Chitre said there is no target date for the release of a generic, more affordable, version of the EpiPen. She advises patients enrolled in high deductible health care plans to shop around at various pharmacies for the best price they can find.
"We were hoping within the last year or so to have some confidence in when a generic would be available. There is a lot of litigation still in play. Unfortunately, I don't have a target for when the generic will be available, but the patent is coming to an end."
Chitre said there is currently one alternative – an authorized generic device called the Epinephrine Delivery System. "It is slightly less expensive - around $450. But I would caution that the device is more difficult to use," she said.
Cyndi Gowan said she considered that option for her son, but doesn’t feel confident enough in the product to rely on it in a worst-case scenario.
"In the case of an emergency situation, that's just not a viable option. At school he goes to track meets. They just can't send syringes and medication and cross their fingers and hope someone knows how to use it."
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter released the following statement on Tuesday:
"I'm deeply troubled by the surging cost of EpiPens, which are a lifesaver for so many people with severe allergies. The cost of this device has increased 450 percent since 2007 at a time when Americans are already spending an average of nearly $1,000 per person on prescriptions every year. That's why I've cosponsored legislation to help fight these price increases and prohibit anti-competitive arrangements that can delay cheaper generic drugs from hitting the market. My office is continuing to get a lot of calls about this, and it's clear that we have to do something to stop this unconscionable gouging of people that are dependent on this medication to survive."
Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., on Tuesday asked the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to hold a hearing on the high cost of EpiPens. She is a co-chair of the Congressional Kids Safety Caucus.
``Thousands of Americans rely on EpiPens in a given year, and perhaps no time is more important in the purchasing of these devices than the beginning of a new school year,'' she wrote in a letter to committee chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.
Mylan does have a school program in which it provides two free EpiPens doses for adults and two doses for children per school building. They are intended for those who have an undiagnosed or other anaphylactic emergency as a result of an allergic reaction that occurs at the school.
In specific emergencies where a known allergy exists, a dosage prescribed by a physician for that individual is typically required. That medication is supplied to the school by the family.
