The Price of an Epi-Pen

[x635 4,066]

Obviously, everyone has heard by now of the Epi-Pen price increase designed to fatten shareholders pockets.

 

With that said, are some agencies using or switching to administering Epi with a syringe off of a bottle? Are EMT's in NYS allowed to use that method? The cost for doing that is around $10 or less a dose.

[dwcfireman 656]

I've heard the same thing.  I'm just wondering how many more of us are going to end up with accidental sticks of this were to happen.  Heck, I don't trust myself with many sharp objects!

[EMT111 149]

5 hours ago, x635 said:

Obviously, everyone has heard by now of the Epi-Pen price increase designed to fatten shareholders pockets.

 

With that said, are some agencies using or switching to administering Epi with a syringe off of a bottle? Are EMT's in NYS allowed to use that method? The cost for doing that is around $10 or less a dose.

Currently the department of health is doing a pilot program that allows EMTs to draw up epi from a vial. Hopefully it will be common place soon, as I think it's ridiculous that an epipen could cost $100s. Unless I'm missing something, I wouldn't think anything in the epipen, including the drug, come close to equaling the cost, especially for something you have to replace each year.

[dwcfireman 656]

On 8/26/2016 at 6:29 PM, EMT111 said:

Currently the department of health is doing a pilot program that allows EMTs to draw up epi from a vial. Hopefully it will be common place soon, as I think it's ridiculous that an epipen could cost $100s. Unless I'm missing something, I wouldn't think anything in the epipen, including the drug, come close to equaling the cost, especially for something you have to replace each year.

 

https://www.outdoored.com/blogs/big-pharma-making-killing-epinephrine

 

This helps explain a little bit about the price hikes.

[SECTMB 612]

How many of the shareholders who profited from the three fold stock price increase were members of Congress, aware of the coming price increases and the Federal block grants to place these pens in thousands of locations.

 

That's how they all get wealthy having gone into Congress 'not wealthy'. Insider trading on confidential information is NOT illegal for members of Congress. Just the rest of us.

 

[ex-commish 490]

15 hours ago, SECTMB said:

How many of the shareholders who profited from the three fold stock price increase were members of Congress, aware of the coming price increases and the Federal block grants to place these pens in thousands of locations.

 

That's how they all get wealthy having gone into Congress 'not wealthy'. Insider trading on confidential information is NOT illegal for members of Congress. Just the rest of us.

 

Congress is nothing more then a greedy crime family

[GreatPlains588 131]

Is it not amazing how the rules don't apply to these people??

 

There are 2 sets of rules, "The set for the politicians!" and the set for the rest of us......

 

Vote them all out!

[somebuffyguy 190]

Not sure about NY but Kings County (Seattle WA) EMS has started making their own Epi kits that only cost $15 wig each does costing an additional $5. They've also begun to sell these kits to other agencies .

 

http://kuow.org/post/king-countys-incredibly-cheap-answer-epipen

[velcroMedic1987 330]

I find it particularly disturbing that Narcan is being distributed - widely - to combat illegal narcotics while the cost of an epi-pen is borne by the potential victim. 

[GreatPlains588 131]

Competition is coming........

 

Mylan launching cheaper, generic version of EpiPen!

 

http://www.nhregister.com/business/20160829/mylan-launching-cheaper-generic-version-of-epipen

[EMT111 149]

On 8/26/2016 at 6:29 PM, EMT111 said:

Currently the department of health is doing a pilot program that allows EMTs to draw up epi from a vial. Hopefully it will be common place soon, as I think it's ridiculous that an epipen could cost $100s. Unless I'm missing something, I wouldn't think anything in the epipen, including the drug, come close to equaling the cost, especially for something you have to replace each year.

 

On 8/29/2016 at 11:50 AM, somebuffyguy said:

Not sure about NY but Kings County (Seattle WA) EMS has started making their own Epi kits that only cost $15 wig each does costing an additional $5. They've also begun to sell these kits to other agencies .

 

http://kuow.org/post/king-countys-incredibly-cheap-answer-epipen

 

From what I've heard, once NY allows all EMTs to draw epi from a vial, the cost will drop dramatically for agencys that go that route. However you run into the problem of agencies that have volunteers and/or staff that work one or two shifts a month and then have a regular job in some office the rest of the time. Half of them don't know how to use an epi pen, and now we're going to train them in an advanced procedure, and expect them to do it the first time five years later in a life threatening situation? I know in my one agency, half the volunteers don't know how to use the nasal narcan, meanwhile we've had it for how many years now, it's super simple to use, and I feel like I'm using it at least once a week at this point.