Shkreli is back.
Shkreli is back. Yes, he's a [insert epithets here]. I imagine he's a bit of a thorn in the side of his own industry, too, because he seems to need to talk in public.
Privileged, entitled jerk whose ethics seem to be defined as: I have it, if you want it you pay me what I want or you die. He seems to think this is how all business should be done. His industry seems to agree with him. I don't remember that bit in "Wealth of Nations" but it's been a while since I read it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/epipen-price-hike-senator-amy-klobuchar-charles-grassley-martin-shkreli/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/epipen-price-hike-senator-amy-klobuchar-charles-grassley-martin-shkreli
Privileged, entitled jerk whose ethics seem to be defined as: I have it, if you want it you pay me what I want or you die. He seems to think this is how all business should be done. His industry seems to agree with him. I don't remember that bit in "Wealth of Nations" but it's been a while since I read it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/epipen-price-hike-senator-amy-klobuchar-charles-grassley-martin-shkreli/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/epipen-price-hike-senator-amy-klobuchar-charles-grassley-martin-shkreli
IMO, the only way to justify such a cost increase would be if they had come up with a way to make it so they don't expire. As a one time cost, ok, maybe, but to have to replace the things, unused, every 6 months, no way. I have yet to see anything that mentions having to replace them regularly.
ReplyDeleteKlobuchar is on the Anti-Trust committee, and trying to get hearings started.
Also interesting...The CEO of Mylan is the daughter of Senator Joe Manchin (WV-D). Klobuchar says he's never discussed this company with her, though (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/price-epipens-spikes-causing-major-health-concerns/)
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about he Manchin connection. The expiration is because the epinephrine expires. It should be good for a year or more under the right conditions. The fact that this guarantees an annual repeat business, though, should bring the price down, imo. Unless the replacements were free (bwahahaha, gasp, sorry).
ReplyDeleteFrankly, the one innovation they could make that would matter is to get two doses into one epi-pen. That, and make the things smaller. They are annoyingly huge. I don't know what it would cost to make the little glass syringes that were in an Ana-kit, but they were so much less of a pain to carry around and they did hold two doses. Frankly, insulin is available in far more convenient ways to carry, and there are even little insulated cases for vials and syringes.
For some people the immediacy of an epi-pen is essential, though. They literally may have seconds to work with.
I wasn't sure why they expired. And yes, needing to purchase regularly should bring the price down... constant demand.
ReplyDelete