An Epi-pen two-pack cost $100 in 2008 and it now costs $500! Price gouging on people's health? Shocking/disgusting/revolting. Capitalism at its best or worst? What say you?

Great minds (Shkreli)!  And less than a minute apart.  :)

Ya I heard about that on the news this morning - pretty greedy of them. I also heard that there is now another type/brand of epi pen but it is on;y $120 (should ask your doctor about it). Cheers!

Thank God we have Obamacare, lol.

When you're the only game in town you set all the rules. I guess there is no mechanism to control "fair". Whatever the market for them  is goes. It's not a choice  one makes or ignores  promiscuously or wantonly. It is a life-or-death necessity for some. I just don't get it MrWitch. Are  folks who do that really human beings or have they been replaced by robots? Emotionless creatures whose only concern is "the bottom line"? I don't get it. Thank you for the info and Happy Wednesday to you m'dear!  :)

I think that is unconscionable.  Frankly I don't mind price-gouging for diamonds or fur coats or fancy cars. Folks who buy those things can afford being price-gouged.My heart does not bleed for them! But something that is a life-or-death necessity for those who are susceptible? That is pure evil greed at its worst. A pox on all their houses! I'm not sure what that means exactly Ele but it sounds ghastly! A double pox!  Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday. So if there were no health insurance Epi-pens would cost a lot less? Why?. Without Medicare and Supplemental insurance Jim and I would have been wiped out financially in 2008 when I had cancer! You're not a fan of health insurance? Why?

(( hugs)) You are so vulnerable cb. They use peanut oil to cook things and you would never even know it. You have to be so careful. My son swells up if he eats anything with walnuts or pecans.  Including his insides. Before epi-pens he'd have to be rushed to the emergency room of the local hospital for oil-based insullin injections. His throat would actually swell up. He'd get huge welts. He said he can always tell because his throat gets immediately itchy. Even when you ask the restaurant staff what something is they don't always know. He had a salad once that was dressed with walnut oil! Who the he** uses walnut oil? That is very pricey.  That was what they used for the house vinagrette dressing. Sometimes nuts are ground up and you can't tell they're there. He ALWAYS carries an Epi-pen and Benadryl. His pediatrician said he would outgrow it! My a**. My son is 50 years old and hasn't outgrown it yet! I feel for you. Take care m'dear. Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday! :)

Merci mille fois mon ami! I can hardly wait  to see them C!   It is extortion of the very worst kind. Lives are at stake here. But that makes no difference apparently. When bottom-line greed is paramount anything goes.  Such people have no conscience. If they did they could not look at themselves in a mirror or sleep at night. I'm sure they have no such problems as that. More's the pity!  :( Thank you for your reply CMI and Happy Wednesday! :) To answer your question. Slavery won't kill you. Lack of essential medicine will. So I guess this is worse! You can  hope to eventually escape slavery. You don't escape being dead. Once you are there is no coming back from it.

It is beyond terrible MaCC. It's evil, pure and simple. Thank you for your reply and Happy Wednesday! :)

I remember reading about that jerk. He seemed to be very proud of doing it! I have no idea what he is but a human being he is not.. Maybe a robot who replaced a human? Heartless/cold/uncaring? Thank you for your reply Ele and Happy Wednesday!  :)

Gosh I sure hope not MrWitch! What an awful role model! Every little Tory Boy? How many of them are there? Any  idea?  Well in America the capitalistic system adorers HATE any rules governing business.  They HATE taxes  too. They just want to rake in as much money as they can without  restriction as to how. Give them that and they will love you forever. Try to impose rules or regs or fair and you are the enemy and they will try to destroy you. And so it goes. Love of money is the root of all evil it is said . It may not be the root of ALL evil but it comes pretty close! Thank you for your reply MrWitch and the link which I have not yet clicked onto yet. I shall so do and return with a comment! :)                                                                 .

OK. I read it. I LOVE the description!. "Repulsive, glaringly out-of-date ideas, snobbish, unpopular"

That so fits some of our  people/pols MrWitch. I shall now co-opt "Tory Boy" avec su permission and you will see it in a question here and there henceforth. I shall give you attribution for it, though not by name unless you'd give your permission for my doing it. I feel a question coming on right now! I think it quite fits Donald J. Trump. No alteration needed. If the shoe fits....! Well you know that old saying!  Thanks again. It's a nice addition to my vocabulary! ((hugs))

Thank you for your reply Nanoose and Happy Wednesday.  I appreciate the info! That is helpful! :)

That's correct.. I should have said England. Sorry.

And allergy medications aren't exempt.. I know all medication is free in England if someone has a thyroid disorder and I think Diabetics too..there are others too.. but asthmatics don't count.. which I don't really get to be honest.

Hi Rosie :)

It can be a nightmare.. I've gone into anaphylactic many times and nearly died as well... they put nuts.. nut oils etc...in things you would never expect.

I went into anaphylactic shock after eating some oat bites.. and they 'didn't' contain nuts and they even tested them.. it can be the case when you have severe allergies that you're more prone to being allergic to other things as well and become allergic to things you were fine with before..that's the biggest problem with me because its so dangerous and I never know when I'm going to become allergic to things I was fine with before.. because its happened so many times and there's no warning.

My allergies have got worse.. I'm allergic to more things now than ever.. That's why its essential I keep 2 epi-pens all the time and that's the reason I think its totally disgusting they charge that much money for Epi-pens where you live. I also have to carry Atarax with me.. which is a prescription only anti-histamine.

Even my G.P messed up... he gave me pain medication in a patch and the patch contained peanut oil.. I didn't think to check.. because my G.P is fully aware of my allergies.. I had a reaction almost immediately and thankfully 2 epi-pens worked. I never said anything to my G.P who messed up and I really should have. Another doctor did me a script for new epi-pens.

I'm really sorry to hear about your son Rosie and I feel for you both.. its hard for you as well because you know how dangerous anaphylaxis can be. 

Thank you Rosie and (((hugs))) to you too and Happy Wednesday to you. :)

I have excellent insurance...but they also price gouge. I reported to mine that a surgical procedure was on my bill that was NOT performed on me when I had wrist surgery last year. I called them and they brushed it off and told me to report it to the hospital who also brushed it off. I confronted the surgeon and he said he didn't know anything about it (BS), but he has to sign off of everything he does. Insurance companies and drug companies are in cahoots at the expense of the consumers.

I can't defend prescription charges so will make no attempt to do so.  :)  

My own medical history does provide me with free prescriptions, but I'm well aware there are those worse off than me health-wise who still get to pay.  

It's a silly system that only 'saves' about £500 million or so a year.  Now that's not a small amount of money, but it's chicken feed in the wider picture of spending on the NHS and it does have the capacity to negatively affect the health of a majority of the population who may not be able or willing to pay.

That is HORRIBLE and DISHONORABLE! How in the he ** do they get away with crap like that? Insurance companies are already richer than God (no blasphemy intended). Disgusting. A pox on their houses too! Bah. Humbug. GRRR! :) Thank you for your reply Ele! :)

There is another company that makes a simalar product. Adrenalclick they are cheaper than Epipen and they also make a generic.  BUT because of FDA regulations the Dr prescribing this med.  cannot simply check the box that says substitions allowed like they do for almost all other meds.  So it it is a government caused monopoly. They do not have to compete against the generic or the other companies...you get exactly what the Dr writes it for no substitutions.  This is what happens when the gov gets involved in things....prices go up, up, up.....

You can get the generic of Adrenalclick (the Dr has to write the script specifically for the generic) for $144.92 at Walmart right now.

http://www.goodrx.com/adrenaclick?drug-name=adrenaclick

Condolences honey. Your path in life is so dangerous through no fault of your own. The first time my son reacted was when he was a baby. I made some butter cookies and I put ground walnuts in them.  Stupidly I crushed one up and let him take a very small taste. Then I went into the other room. When I came  back a couple of minutes later he   was rubbing his face and was very agitated and started getting welts! By the time I got him to the pediatrician he looked like a monster. I thought he was dying. The doctor immediately recognized what it was and gave him a shot of insulin in an oil base. He asked what I had given him to eat and I told him. I felt so bad. He was also allergic to egg whites..like  Marshmallow Creme  or meringue. But he outgrew that. His allergy to walnuts and pecans he still has and will always have I guess. He carries an Epi-pen and Benadryl always. One time I got a  call from his school when he was in the first or second grade . He was drowsy and sleepy. When I got there I asked what he had eaten. A mom had brought cupcakes to school to share. No nuts. She checked. But it turns out the icing was made of chocolate-flavored Marshmallow \Fluff. So I took him to the emergency room.  It was always very scary.   I don't think his allergies have grown in number but I'm not sure. He lives in Honolulu so I don't know what goes on in his life on a daily basis. I saw a TV movie about a child who was so allergic to everything he had to live in a bubble. In fact I think that was the name of it..."The boy in the bubble" and it was based on  a real person. So the world is a very dangerous place for you. You have to be always on guard and ready to act immediately. I have never heard of Atarax. Is that a stronger version of Benadryl? When my son was young Benadryl was only available by prescription. I was so relieved when it became an over-the-counter drug. I guess they discovered it was benign and didn't have any potentially dangerous side effects. Anyway good luck m'dear. You never know the row people have to hoe until you ask them.  You're welcome and you will remain in my thoughts. My son always is. Seeing an anaphylactic reaction for the first time is like going to a horror movie. It is that frightening but then you know that all-too-well. He said his throat gets immediately itchy when he has ingested something life-threatening. Do you get an itchy throat too cb?  ((hugs))

awwww I'm so sorry Rosie.. it is awful to see especially in a child.. but it wasn't your fault.. there is nothing you could have done to prevent it.

And yes Atarax is stronger than Benadryl.. Benadryl does nothing for me.

I actually went into anaphylactic shock yesterday.. there is so much bad stuff going on in my life right now.. I cant concentrate properly and I didn't check the label on the food.

I had to do 2 epi-pens..and the one didn't go off properly.. so I had to apply a lot of force for it to work and as a result  I must have hit a vein and a nerve.. because I still cant feel part of my leg and all surrounding the injection area and it really bled... there was a puddle of blood on the floor.. but I couldn't feel it bleeding so much.. because I hit a nerve. The muscle in my leg was throbbing so much.. it really hurt.. but that's gone now :) I also had to take some steroids and atarax. I'm fine now regarding that.. apart from I still cant feel part of my leg, its totally numb even more today than yesterday.

And yes my throat goes itchy and it stings as well and then it starts to swell very quickly.

Thank you.. and you will be in my thoughts as well... please remember you didn't do anything wrong.. you acted perfectly and got him help.. so its because of you.. your son is here today. Well done for that :)

Feel all that newfound "protection". And enjoy the largess of that newly-legislated "affordability".

The PPACA is working just as intended. Too bad of a few eggs (your kids) have to be broken (die for no reason) in the making of that socialist "omelet".

You know honey it is so scary  being a parent  of a child with anaphylaxsis. Watching your child in distress and not being able to do anything about it . Well except  hopefully get him help in time. The doctor told me once that the window was about an hour between ingestion of the dangerous food and being close to death. That isn't very long. The faster I got him to the emergency room after ingesting something dangerous the shorter the time it would take to bring him back to safety. You feel so darn helpless. Rich described what it felt like to him starting with the itchy throat and the throat closing. It is  terrifying to hear and I"m sure far more terrifying to experience. I dunno cherry. It seems to me if we can send folks to the moon and get them back safely we ought to be able to figure out a cure for deadly allergies. Anyway ((hugs)) and I'm so sorry you had that bad reaction yesterday. Do you do a lot of your own cooking? Of course if you continue to become allergic to new things that is no guarantee you won't have an attack but at least you don't have to deal with people serving you in restaurants who don't have a clue what the ingredients are!  :).

I can imagine... seeing a child in distress and dangerously ill... is very scary.

Its only because of your prompt action that your son was ok... many parents aren't so quick and sadly their child doesn't make it.

And yes a hour would be the maximum.. I remember going into anaphylactic shock and I didn't have my epi-pens with me.. my so called friend was drunk and didn't care.. by the time I called my parents and they come and got me straight away I was already blue and barely breathing by then..they rushed me to hospital and my dad carried me in..a doctor took one look at me and he carried me to the resuscitation room.. I was in my nurses uniform at the time and they cut it off me..and due to the doctors immediate treatment.. I pulled through...I was in hospital for over a week..  I don't remember barely any of this.. just what my parents told me.  The doctors said a few minutes longer I wouldn't have survived.  That was so scary for my parents.. so I can only imagine how scary it was for you.. because your son was so young.

It is safer for me to have home made food and I do so when I can.

Restaurants can be terrible.. some have no idea what's in there food.. That's disgusting.. because anaphylaxis kills.. they really should know.

Thank you Rosie. :) 

You're welcome cherry. I might have told you this already.  My son ate at a California Pizza Kitchen and ordered a salad with oil and vinegar dressing. Well usually the oil is olive oil right. They used WALNUT oil but nowhere on the menu did it state that. You can imagine what happened with his first bite. Itchy throat...Benadryl. He wasn't carrying an Epi-pen then. As far as I know he has one with him at all times now! Who uses walnut oil which is very expensive in an oil and vinegar dressing without stating it? Happy Sunday! :)