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When all the snow melts in the spring, when little shoots of flowers begin popping up through the ground and the trees begin to bud, I know it is time for me to begin my regular allergy medication routine if I want to avoid the sneezing, runny nose, congestion, itchy eyes, etc. Luckily, these allergies are the only ones I experience - I do not have allergies to medication, insects or food. But there are thousands of people across the United States that are not so lucky.
Recently there has been a lot of talk about the rising cost of EpiPen, a medication used to reverse potentially life-threatening reactions to allergens. Prices jumped hundreds of dollars, which will trickle down to effect parents, school districts, EMTs and hospitals, just to name a few.
People who need an EpiPen on hand and can no longer afford the medication are now turning to alternative solutions. Some are making their own EpiPens by purchasing a syringe and a vial of ephinephrine (the main ingredient in the medication). Others are relying on expired EpiPens in case of an emergency because they cannot afford to purchase new medications once they expire.
A person who needs an EpiPen in an emergency may only have seconds to respond - would you want to rely on an expired medication or something hand-made?
To me, it all boils down to GREED. Mylan, the owner of EpiPen (they did not create this medication, but purchased the rights to EpiPen in 2007), rakes in millions of dollars each year. Their CEO also receives a salary of millions of dollars a year. What happened to compassion? What happened to caring about the people you serve?
School began this week for students in the Dodgeville School District. I cringe thinking about the possibility of a student having an allergic reaction - and the possibility that something horrible could happen because staff didn't have the proper tools to help this individual.