Using an epipen was the scariest moment of my life followed by awestruck relief at how fast it worked. Epinephrine is a fucking miracle, and it breaks my heart how inaccessible it is. Here’s your chance for lazy online activism to nudge your congresscritter: - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

mikamckinnon.bsky.social • 348 days ago

Using an epipen was the scariest moment of my life followed by awestruck relief at how fast it worked. Epinephrine is a fucking miracle, and it breaks my heart how inaccessible it is.

Here’s your chance for lazy online activism to nudge your congresscritter:

Comments

andrewkozma.net•348 days ago

Done.

woollahra.bsky.social•348 days ago

Cap it. When they fire an equivalent vial into your veins using an ordinary syringe in the hospital it costs only a dollar vial plus the cost of using and disposing the syringe and vial safely. That's way less than the several hundred they charge for an epipen.

woollahra.bsky.social•348 days ago

They should also be honest about how much more durable an epipen is. They ask you to replace it annually, but a pan can last around 2 years and still be safe and relatively effective.

woollahra.bsky.social•348 days ago

To be fair, I will grant you that the $1/shot epivial requires actual medical training to use. The Epipen is designed that any layman capable of violently jamming a pole into someone's thigh and counting three clicks can use it, even potentially the victim in slower-developing cases.

woollahra.bsky.social•348 days ago

But I don't think that ease of use justifies adding $99+ to the price tage of each pen. Maybe $50 at most, and even then perhaps some discount should be offered for returning expired or discharged pens for sterile remanufacture.

defarge.bsky.social•348 days ago

Thank you for sharing this!

nerx.bsky.social•348 days ago

Epi the drug itself is dirt cheap to make. Vials+syringe and needles to inject it costs around 12 dollars. These pharmaceutical companies wildly jack up the price of auto injectors, its ridiculous.

feiryred.bsky.social•348 days ago

You'd hate what they cost in the UK!

maranoagirl.bsky.social•344 days ago

You might find this interesting - or not.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-25/mylan-epipen-us-prices-hikes-unlikely-to-happen-in-australia/7784700
Australia has this: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pharmaceutical-benefits-scheme

steegs.bsky.social•348 days ago

I worked as a nurse in an allergy office. I fielded phone calls of parents begging for a reasonably priced substitute to the extortive epi-pens. This has to happen as it is so integral to life. Some families used their in the expired state - the rep said not to but they were unaffordable.

guyfromthatthing.bsky.social•348 days ago

Twice in the past year I would have died without it. Amazing when allergies develop out of nowhere after forty years of not having them.

morticia91.bsky.social•347 days ago

I've had it prescribed, but mine's expired and no human alive at this time can afford a new one. But yeah, let's keep cutting taxes for the corporation that makes it, and allow their CEO to claim his insane bonus again this year. Baby needs another new Porsche.

pluplubasch.bsky.social•348 days ago

I’m forced to take a public health strategic management class as part of my degree. We are doing this case study today. From the point of view of the CEO. 🥵

beccasmullet.bsky.social•348 days ago

Joe Manchin's daughter is mostly responsible for the inhumane price increases that have been imposed. Being a compete waste of oxygen apparently runs in the family!

rainbowbody.bsky.social•348 days ago

If it is any consolation, she is moving out of Pittsburgh and having trouble selling her house.

beccasmullet.bsky.social•348 days ago

Manchin's daughter? Well, that's good to know. Perhaps somebody can get in there and do the baby shrimp trick, and really make it hard to sell....

luxastarte.bsky.social•348 days ago

omg why have we not been egging/TPing her house constantly

beccasmullet.bsky.social•348 days ago

I think she lives on a big gated estate in New Jersey with the other Pharma execs. Overall, a great question, tho.

rainbowbody.bsky.social•348 days ago

House is on Zillow
Scaife rd
202
I do think they moved a while back

beccasmullet.bsky.social•348 days ago

Oh, the smell isn't for them; it's for the potential buyers. Shove enough tiny shrimp into the crevices, or attach it where cleaners don't normally go, and you'll end up with a house NOBODY will buy.

luxastarte.bsky.social•348 days ago

Hahahahahahahahahah hell yeah. Truly these are people who should never know peace.

rainbowbody.bsky.social•348 days ago

Gates and security

luxastarte.bsky.social•348 days ago

Always in my way.

beccasmullet.bsky.social•348 days ago

Still, somebody could get in there during a showing or at an Open House with the Baby Shrimp....

rainsurname.bsky.social•348 days ago

LBJ would have used her obvious corruption to make Manchin get in line, sigh.

symbioticmind.bsky.social•348 days ago

Yep. instead of punishing or whipping votes, biden rewarded him with direct monetary rewards via his coal mining business. What conclusions can you draw from that? Then pair it with progressive attempts thwarted by the parliamentarian or a neighbor with a beard.

beccasmullet.bsky.social•348 days ago

It's sad, isn't it? I'm hopeful that 5 years of relentless attacks from American oligarchs will have changed his perspective on putting a few teeth into his personal dealings with backsliding Democrats.

notkoze.trashmammal.club•347 days ago

Really excited to see Maxwell Frost co sponsored this measure to cap the prices. Really promising congressman!

docum3nt.bsky.social•348 days ago

I'm glad it worked. Just sorry that it costs so much.

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ejpratt40.bsky.social•348 days ago

That’s insane. Is that per pen or per prescription? For instance, every year I get 3 pens in my prescription and with my insurance, it costs me $6 for that prescription.

docum3nt.bsky.social•348 days ago

Per pen, but the article points out that in the USA they are sold in twin-packs.

pollyf.bsky.social•348 days ago

A person who needs an Epi-Pen should always have 2 in case one isn't enough.

pluplubasch.bsky.social•348 days ago

Which is something her company forced. It didn’t used to be like that.

sluggard.bsky.social•348 days ago

It’s usually 2 for $650 or so.

ejpratt40.bsky.social•348 days ago

Ouch. Excuse my Canadian ignorance, do you have insurance that covers that?

nbrookus.bsky.social•348 days ago

I don't know the rates, but high deductible plans are very common in the US. For example, I have to spend $12,000 on healthcare before my insurance kicks in. The only time I have reached that cap is when I was treated for cancer. (You also get reduced rates on many services when you have insurance.)

ejpratt40.bsky.social•348 days ago

Ah that’s the difference, we don’t have deductibles per se on our insurance usually through work. For instance, my work covers 100% of prescriptions but only up to $6 of the dispensing fee, so I pay for the rest of the dispensing fee through the pharmacy. And there may be caps on things like 1/2

docum3nt.bsky.social•348 days ago

Drugs here are not covered by regular health insurance. Instead, the state runs a Drugs Payment Scheme, under the terms of which you pay the first €80 per month and everything over that is covered by the state.

docum3nt.bsky.social•348 days ago

I just checked the price in my local pharmacy: there are three brands, all with identical contents, from about €75 to about €100. The drawback with the (one) US brand is that is it has to be imported into the EU, and has to be kept in quarantine for 6 months, so a 1–year expiry ends up as 6 months.

sluggard.bsky.social•348 days ago

Yeah, fortunately I do.
If you have a kid in school, with an EpiPen need, you have to supply one to the school nurse.
So, they’ll have hundreds of EpiPens, each dedicated to one student. If the student uses it, they have to replace it. Meanwhile, you have hundreds going unused. It’s inefficient

pollyf.bsky.social•348 days ago

My kiddo's pens expire 4/24, and since the school won't keep expired meds, I have to do a refill for the last month!

docum3nt.bsky.social•348 days ago

That's not how to run a school

shireenj.bsky.social•348 days ago

If you don’t have insurance in Canada, it’s over $100 per. Reintroducing competition meant its competitor was less (and smaller), but still not below $50. Many of us have no insurance. Canada doesn’t remotely have universal health care.

nbrookus.bsky.social•348 days ago

My Mom and I split a box. The price is pure grift, much like insulin.

mikestucka.bsky.social•348 days ago

FWIW it looks like similar devices are not readily available in large parts of the world so the pricing map may be misleading.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10616381/

(How is humanity getting this so wrong?)

billstewart.bsky.social•347 days ago

Friend of mine is allergic to mushrooms. She told the Chinese restaurant they were at that she was allergic, and they assured her that there weren't any. Didn't get that "fungus" counted as well. EpiPen to the rescue.

billstewart.bsky.social•347 days ago

The US patents on Epipen were issued in 1987, so should've expired in 2007. They found legal tricks to extend them another ~20 years. Also, the current maker jacked up the price from ~$100 to ~600 over a few short years.
https://www.stltoday.com/print/a-section/behind-the-epipen-controversy-are-questions-about-patents-granted-to-drugmaker/article_54bbc38b-57b1-5a41-bbe4-a92aa9f85751.html

sequinworld.bsky.social•348 days ago

Don't you actually mean "inaccessible to people in the USA" as not everyone on here lives over there or tolerates a barbaric health care system

shouldhavezagged.com•348 days ago

CONGRESSCRITTER.

sjminamide.bsky.social•348 days ago

I just had to replace mine and I’m “lucky” because my insurance covers it with a $75 copay 🙄

epopp.bsky.social•348 days ago

This nurses thanks you Mika!!

yarnslug.bsky.social•348 days ago

So this cap looks to only be helpful for people with insurance only. GoodRX card doesn't drop the price to reasonable either ~$300+. I'm aware there are programs, and a good pharmacist will help you find them. But 15 yrs a nurse tells me good helpful people can be selective with who they help.

theactualbrian.bsky.social•348 days ago

Not too really anything away from your, because fuck drug company price gouging, but when I had to carry epinephrine, I used Auvi-q Ave it was free no matter what.

That was their thing.
They'd take whatever your insurance covered as payment or the government covered as payment.

marilee99.bsky.social•348 days ago

Why are Big Pharma & hedge fund managers, among others, given a pass to simply ripoff Americans? Why do American citizens allow this? Are we so desensitized that we allow elected officials to green light this??

andgracetoo.bsky.social•348 days ago

I am allergic to bees and shellfish. I have an epipen within grabbing distance throughout my house, my car, my purse, my backpack. I couldn't imagine paying the outrageous cost you guys have in the states. I think I currently have 7 which are set to expire in 2025 at which point I will get 7 more.