For the past couple of weeks, pharmaceutical company Mylan has received quite a bit of bad press for their 500% markup of life-saving allergen device EpiPen.
The simple syringe containing a single dose of epinephrine is necessary for all children and adults suffering from major allergies in the case of an exposure or flare-up, and yet the greed of Mylan has made it difficult and even impossible for families to keep an EpiPen on hand.
Though we have heard that the company plans to release a generic for a reduced price in the near future, the frustration many families feel has not been lessened by the news.
One such mother wrote a stunning op-ed for The Huffington Post wherein she addressed Mylan CEO Heather Bresch by her first name as she reminded the woman that her greed has a direct and detrimental effect on families all over the country.
“You rake in millions for yourself and, hopefully, we buy ourselves another year of life-saving medicine, or maybe just enough medicine to get us through the next anaphylactic attack.
“Your refusal to cut the price of EpiPens makes it clear that you value Mylan’s profits and your own personal enrichment more than the life of my daughter and the millions of American families that require multiple EpiPens to keep our loved ones safe.
“We didn’t ask for this life. EpiPens are not a luxury for us. They are the difference between life and death.”
You can read the rest of the letter here.
