Re:FDA promised a ‘lower-cost option’ to EpiPen, but the pri...
by yabatopia on Wednesday November 28, 2018 @03:29PM
(#18555343)
$150 with discount or coupon is still way too expensive. Where I live in Europe (Belgium) pharmacies sell the EpiPen for just $50. No need for a coupon, that's the regular price. It's even cheaper for some patients.
Re:FDA promised a ‘lower-cost option’ to EpiPen, but the pri...
by Joeri on Wednesday November 28, 2018 @05:07PM
(#18556138)
In belgium the government sets the maximum price of drugs. The drug company has to submit a dossier explaining objectively why a particular price that they propose is reasonable.
Re:FDA promised a ‘lower-cost option’ to EpiPen, but the pri...
by Communitivity on Thursday November 29, 2018 @01:14PM
(#18562350)
I think that is what we need in the U.S. When I was in college I survived on a food budget of $100/week during my first year. I have diabetes, and I am supposed to (though not required) test my blood three times a day, 21 times per week, at $1 per strip. My Metformin costs me another $22 per week, and a two other drugs costs me about the same. The result is that a single well-controlled condition costs me $88 per week, $352 per month.
Put another way, if I was working minimum wage without insurance and no other income (12% tax bracket), I'd need to work 13.6 hours to cover the drugs for that one condition, 34% of my take home (roughly, I didn't include state tax, social security, etc.). Where as one person I would have been above the poverty threshold of $12.14k in 2018, now I would effectively be below it.
This is why so many people who don't have steady jobs (e.g., the gig economy) have to choose between drugs and food.
In fact, several large retailers sell EpiPen for $150 when including a coupon, according to GoodRx.
As for the FDA narrative not being true, how do you know that? The article doesn't actually state the true cost of the Teva product anywhere, which was my original point.