EpiPen Sticker Shock: Parents Want Answers
The EpiPen price hike rolled out by Mylan Labs (NYSE:MYL) is causing outrage and one concerned mother is doing something about it.
After losing her son to food allergies, three years ago, Georgina Cornago Cipriano started a support group to fight skyrocketing EpiPen costs, which she says have increased 500% in the past few years.
“It is horrendous how parents have had to deal with whether they can afford to put food on the table or buy an EpiPen which will save a child’s life,” she told the FOX Business Networks Charles Payne.
According to Cipriano, until recently, drug companies have not weighed in, and are not taking the blame for the massive hikes.
“Basically they are blaming it on insurance companies and I do think that insurance companies are also [to] blame – high deductibles, it’s a battle with both,” she said. “It shouldn’t be a battle. It should be accessible to all. It shouldn’t be something a parent has to worry about… EpiPen’s should be available to anyone who has this problem.”
While Cipriano doesn’t begrudge Mylan, for making a profit on the EpiPen, the question over why prices have surged remains.
“Especially why because data has shown that the cost is only one dollar per pen,” she added.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are coming together on the issue. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Ann Klobuchar (D-Minn.) published letters calling for change.
Grassley wrote to Mylan CEO Heather Bresch. While Klobuchar is asking for the Federal Trade Commission to investigate.