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from the better-mousetrap-trapped-in-limbo dept.
AlterNet reports
The [EpiPen], which millions of Americans depend on, was invented in the 1970s by engineer Sheldon Kaplan[PDF], who died seven years ago in modest surroundings amid obscurity. But Kaplan's patent made its way into [the] Netherlands-based drug maker Mylan, which, since 2007, has jacked up the price of the spring-loaded injector from $57 a shot to $300.
[...] The high price [...] caught the attention of Dr. Douglas McMahon. The 38-year-old allergy specialist in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been thinking about how to improve on the EpiPen and to do so in a way that's affordable.
[...] McMahon saw that the EpiPen device was not only overpriced for what it does but also was too big to be easily carried in a pocket. For the past couple of years, he has been tinkering with injection-device components in his lab. And the result of his work is AllergyStop [1], an injection prototype that's small enough to fit on a key chain. McMahon claimed his device is as effective as the EpiPen and can be marketed and sold for about $50.
But, even though McMahon's device has been production-ready for the past two months, the steps he must take to get the device approved will cost him about $2 million and it will potentially take him years to go through all the hurdles required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for possible approval of his invention.
[1] All content is behind scripts. archive.li will run those for you.
Previously:
EpiPen's Price Increased 400% since 2008
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Monday September 12 2016, @01:39PM
I don't disagree with you on the $600 injector. It doesn't need to cost that much. The reality is that in other countries, it doesn't cost that much. Don't confuse, however, the advantage of having a device that you can keep in reserve for the time you do urgently need it, with diabetics who are on regular doses. You might as well argue that a shoe-horn is a useless idea, and that everyone should only buy shoes that don't need one. Remember, we live in a world where you can buy 100$ selfie-sticks, with bluetooth.
(Score: 2) by Dunbal on Monday September 12 2016, @02:24PM
It is daylight robbery that it costs that much. I merely mention my "low tech" solution because I practice in the developing world and only the richest can afford Epi-Pens, which they have to buy overseas because they're simply not sold here. While it's less than ideal, it's no worse than the Epi-pen you forgot in the glove compartment of your car. Like I said it's hard to kill yourself with one ampule of 1:1000 epinephrine especially when you're not putting it directly in your veins but rather im/sc. And it is cheap as heck - box of 25 ampules can cost you $10 or so and the syringe is negligible. There ARE alternatives and the fact that the government and/or others seem to be scratching their heads at this patented "stumbling block" is ridiculous. It's as if someone didn't know how to get to the other side of town anymore if cars stopped working. Look down. See those things? Yeah - they're called feet and they work.