There has been a recent spike in the prices of EpiPens. EpiPens are epinephrine auto-injectors that are used to treat many different allergies. Many people who are EpiPen users have fatal allergies and are told that they must carry their EpiPen 24/7. There is so much commotion right now being that life-saving treatment is becoming unaffordable for many people.

Being that children can "outgrow" their allergies as they age, most people who have fatal food allergies are children. With this being said, many people are arguing that helpless children and their parents are being targeted by this ridiculous price increase.

The issue is that Mylan, the EpiPen producers, have no direct competitors. There is no generic medicine that does the job of an EpiPen, so people with allergies have no choice but to purchase the EpiPens. No insurance companies cover the total cost of the EpiPen, so customers are paying high amounts out of pocket to get their hands on the life-saving medicine. The crazy thing is that the cost to produce EpiPens has not increased by more than $3.00, but the price that consumers pay was raised by over $250.00.

The EpiPen price has gone up by more than 400%, going from $56.64 to $317.82. With this dramatic price increase, the salaries of their workers increased even more dramatically. The CEO's salary went from from $2,453,456 to $18,931,068. With the CEO's paycheck increasing by more than 600%, the American people are going crazy over the unaffordable price increase.

Mylan didn't directly mention or defend the price increase; however, they stated that people may not have known how much they were paying when their insurance companies covered more of the bill. They were trying to switch the blame onto insurance companies. A few insurance companies have reached out and said that they tried to work out some deals with Mylan with no major success.

It's not fair for children with food allergies to be targeted in this way. They did not do anything to be born with such severe allergies, but they're suffering major consequences. For people who are poor, it's extremely unaffordable to have to spend over $300 on life-saving treatment. Another major issue is that schools are required to carry EpiPens; however, now Congress, in a deal with Mylan, is trying to stop schools from having EpiPens. A few congressmen are against the bill, so hopefully this bill doesn't get passed.

Being that there are no major competitors, it's nearly impossible for anyone to do something about the issue. The price spike is solely in Mylan's control, and the company doesn't seem to see a problem with what they have done. More people will pay the high prices for the necessary drug than those who will not, so Mylan will continue to pull in the big bucks.