The EpiPen, an easy-to-use injectable shot filled with medicine that can stop a life-threatening allergic reaction, has increased in price from about $100 for a pack of two pens in 2009 to over $600 this year. The price spike also coincides with the recall of one of EpiPen’s competitors, the Auvi-Q from the pharmaceutical company Sanofi US. The company recalled their pen in October because of inaccurate dosage issues. An estimated one in 50 Americans could have anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction to an allergy, according to a study by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America that was sponsored by Sanofi. Pharmaceutical watchdogs and politicians have weighed in on the price hike, pushing back on Mylan’s pricing scheme and calling for competitors to enter the market.

Source: Huffington Post August 18, 2016 21:45 UTC