Myth-Busters: Abolish The FDA

[Suzanimal]

The fact that more people die from FDA-approved drugs than illegal drugs should be enough of a reason to send the FDA into the dustbin of history with the Soviet Politburo. This week's EpiPen pricing scandal adds fuel to the fire as the FDA has barred and made it virtually impossible to compete with Mylan's product. It's time to abolish the crony FDA and breathe some new life into America. Ron Paul's Myth-Busters makes the case.

The Lack of EpiPen Competitors is the FDA's Fault

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EpiPen is sold by Mylan, and the price for a pack of two has increased from about $100 in 2007 to over $600 as of May 2016. Mylan has tried to quell the storm by pointing out that many of their customers pay nothing for the drug because of insurance. Their deflection has been unsuccessful.

The economist looks for competitors in cases like this. A firm cannot just willy-nilly raise their prices without a competing firm leaping in to give consumers what they want at a lower price. As it turns out, Mylan has a great friend who keeps would-be competitors out of the market, or at least makes it so difficult for them that they eventually go out of business. That friend is the FDA.

With the FDA, patents, and cozy insurance relationships, Mylan has been able to steadily increase the price of EpiPens without significant market repercussions. Though, the current backlash may push many patients and doctors to look for alternatives. The only problem is that alternatives are few and far between because of government interventions.

Epinephrine is extremely cheap—just a few cents per dose. The complications come from producing the easy auto-injecting devices. Mylan “owns” their auto-injector device design, so competitors must find work-arounds in their devices to deliver the epinephrine into the patient’s body. This task, coupled with the tangled mess of FDA red tape, has proven to be difficult for would-be EpiPen competitors. It’s like expecting somebody to come up with a new way to play baseball without bases, balls, gloves, or bats, but still getting the game approved by the MLB as a baseball game substitute.

A French pharmaceutical company offered an electronic device that actually talks people through the steps of administering the drug, but it was recalled because of concerns about it delivering the required dose. Just this year, Teva Pharmaceutical’s attempt at bringing a generic epinephrine injector to market in the US was blocked by the FDA. Adrenaclick and Twinject were unable to get insurance companies on board and so discontinued their injectors in 2012.

Adrenaclick has since come back, but it is still not covered by many insurance plans, and the FDA has made it illegal for pharmacies to substitute Adrenaclick as a generic alternative to EpiPen. Another company tried to sidestep the whole auto-injector patent barrier by offering prefilled syringes, but the FDA has stalled them, too.

Mylan has been repeatedly protected from competition, and it has repeatedly (and predictably) increased the price of EpiPens in response. Allowing all of these companies to compete in producing epinephrine auto-injectors would be the best course for all of the many patients who want a cheaper solution for severe allergic reactions.

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https://mises.org/blog/lack-epipen-c...ors-fdas-fault

Raising Eyebrows: EpiPen CEO's Dad Is a Senator

(NEWSER) – Prior to the recent outrage at drugmaker Mylan for jacking the price of EpiPens into the stratosphere, it wasn't widely known that company CEO Heather Bresch, 47, was the daughter of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. That has changed in a big way, with major media outlets now weighing in. Some coverage:

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The Intercept has deeper background, noting that Manchin himself put in a word with Mylan's then-CEO in 1992 to get his daughter an entry-level job. She eventually became the company's chief lobbyist and played a role in shaping laws that have helped Mylan.

A post at Consumer Affairs heaves a sigh: "Manchin is expected to keep a low profile as the storm rolls through Congress and dissipates, as many observers now think it will. After all, Senatorial courtesy generally takes precedence over consumer protection."

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http://www.newser.com/story/230150/d...big-focus.html

[Origanalist]

Raising Eyebrows: EpiPen CEO's Dad Is a Senator

I'm sure it's just a coincidence. This is America after all, not some third world $#@!hole where cronyism is rampant.

[Suzanimal]

I'm sure it's just a coincidence. This is America after all, not some third world $#@!hole where cronyism is rampant.

Nah...

Company Gouging Price Of EpiPens Is A Clinton Foundation Donor And Partner

EpiPen injections, which help stop potentially fatal allergic reactions, cost $57 in 2007. They now run $609. According to CNBC, the price of EpiPens has increased at a steady rate in those nine years.

As of May 2011, the price was $165. That rose to $350 in 2014 and $461 last year.

The Clinton Foundation partnered with Mylan at a time when it was raising prices on the EpiPen, which had been distributed by Merck.

Ironically, the company partnered in 2009 with the Clinton Foundation to provide a lower-cost alternative for four HIV drugs. Clinton Foundation records show that Mylan has donated between $100,000 and $250,000 to the Foundation. It is not clear when the donation was made, but it likely corresponded with the 2009 partnership.

According to a Clinton Foundation press release, Mylan pledged to offer the drugs for $425 per year by 2010. The cost was 28 percent lower than competing drugs, according to the Clinton Foundation.

It is not clear if Mylan followed through with its pledge or what the cost of the drugs is today.

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Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/24/co...#ixzz4IUaDuPCh