Most of you have heard about the huge increase in the price of EpiPen (in the USA only). The company gives vague excuses.
An analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA. 2016;316(8):858-871, has revealed it is only a result of the greed of the pharmaceutical companies.
The researchers found little or no correlation between the cost of the development of a drug (pharma's favorite excuse) and its price in the United States. This country is proud(?) to have the highest price for pharmaceuticals in the world.
They assign blame to two major factors: protection from competition by manufacturers of generic versions and prohibitions against negotiating lower prices (as insisted upon by our heavily lobbied congress and senate). Also at fault are government-granted monopoly rights for new drugs and legal (and chemical) maneuverings to extend those monopolies.
The companies are found to charge whatever the market can bear.
You can also review the epipen controversy in the New York Times.
well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/08/22/epipen-price-rise-sparks-concern-for-allergy-sufferers/
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