The Politics of Anaphylaxis ...By Kevin D. Williamson

[mystery-ak]

 The Politics of Anaphylaxis
The real scandal of EpiPen pricing
By Kevin D. Williamson — August 25, 2016

A couple of years ago, I got my front teeth knocked out by a combination of bad decisions and gravity.

I had never so much as seen the inside of a dentist’s office, so I didn’t really know what to expect. The reality was amazing: I went to a tiny little office a few blocks down from National Review’s palatial penthouse at Buckley Towers, where a lovely young Indian immigrant gazed into my mug and compared some enamels samples like a painter trying to decide whether your living room is actually “Westhighland white” or more of a “Restoration ivory,” and then whipped up some new teeth, first a temporary set and then, a week or so later, permanent replacements. Cost a few hundred bucks.

Amazing.

Magic, basically.

more
http://www.nationalreview.com/node/439331/print

[Oceander]

The ramp up in pricing for the epipen from Mylan has more to do with the fact that the FDA has given them a defacto monopoly by refusing to approve a competing product.  The medication itself is cheap, and the injection device has been around since the 1970s (as I understand the matter), so we're not talking about the need to amortize a huge amount of invested capital that hasn't been recovered yet; we're talking about monopoly pricing, pure and simple.  Unfortunately, this is a monopoly created by, and protected by, the government.

[HonestJohn]

The ramp up in pricing for the epipen from Mylan has more to do with the fact that the FDA has given them a defacto monopoly by refusing to approve a competing product.  The medication itself is cheap, and the injection device has been around since the 1970s (as I understand the matter), so we're not talking about the need to amortize a huge amount of invested capital that hasn't been recovered yet; we're talking about monopoly pricing, pure and simple.  Unfortunately, this is a monopoly created by, and protected by, the government.

It's not a monopoly.  There is the generic... and Adrenaclick.

There was also Auvi‑Q until it was recalled earlier this year as it's medicine dispensing system would sometimes give out the wrong dosage.

Epipen enjoys its dominance as it's the easiest and least complicated way to administer the drug needed.

[r9etb]

The ramp up in pricing for the epipen from Mylan has more to do with the fact that the FDA has given them a defacto monopoly by refusing to approve a competing product.  The medication itself is cheap, and the injection device has been around since the 1970s (as I understand the matter), so we're not talking about the need to amortize a huge amount of invested capital that hasn't been recovered yet; we're talking about monopoly pricing, pure and simple.  Unfortunately, this is a monopoly created by, and protected by, the government.

Or, to put it more bluntly, Mylan saw an opportunity to ramp up the price, and they took it, and there were no market forces to prevent it until insurance coverage changed. 

Similar price increases have occurred with albuterol inhalers -- the drug hasn't changed a bit, but the opportunity arose when the FDA mandated a change in the pressurant/propellant.

[geronl]

The ramp up in pricing for the epipen from Mylan has more to do with the fact that the FDA has given them a defacto monopoly by refusing to approve a competing product.

CEO is a D Senators daughter who donates to the right people....presto! You have Trump-like Cronyism.