Imagine a family eating dinner in a restaurant on Sunday afternoon. Everyone is laughing and celebrating a birthday together. Both parents and children are enjoying the beautiful weather and the day off school. The merriment continues until the mother glances over to see her seven year old clawing at his throat, struggling to breathe. His face is flushed with fear and hives, his tongue is swollen, and his attempted respirations are difficult. He can't talk, and he obviously needs immediate medical attention. The mother recognizes this as anaphylaxis; the child has severe shellfish allergies (Mayo Clinic Staff np). Someone in the kitchen must have allowed his food to come in contact with the allergen.
Hastily reaching down to grab his …show more content…
Further, an estimated 3.6 million people depend on the drug (Stooksberry np). The price of Mylan’s automated epinephrine injector skyrocketed from $56 to $300; however, a customer will spend at least $600, since they are sold in packs of two (Popkin np). This packaging is a result of needing a dose every 15 minutes in an emergency (Mangan np). One single-use EpiPen is not enough to save a victim in anaphylactic shock.
Parents with at-risk children are at an even worse disadvantage. They are usually required to supply two EpiPens for school, as well as for the home. Also, EpiPens expire annually, so they cannot safely be saved from previous years (Willingham np). American Pharmacists Association’s Mohamed Jalloh explains the importance of using recommended dates: “The primary concern is that epinephrine will oxidize over time, and because of that, create a byproduct that is associated with hallucinations and other psychiatric symptoms,” (Jalloh qtd. in Expired EpiPens: What You Need to Know …show more content…
If drugs were mislabeled, no consequences were given to companies for incorrect data. The Food and Drug Administration now verifies statistic accuracy and ensures products are safe for consumption (FDA.org np). Without this public service, individuals with allergies or dietary restrictions would struggle purchasing safe goods. Also, the general population would not have complete knowledge of their drugs or the peace of mind we have today. The Food and Drug administration allows Americans to enjoy some of the safest products in the world (FDA.org np).
Over the years, however, the FDA has continued to institute higher standards and stricter regulations. In fact, only one out of 5,000 new medications is ever released to the public (Willingham np). Because of these stringent rules, the process of approval is very lengthy and costly; furthermore, 12 years is the average time a company must spend testing and observing a new product (Willingham np). For over a decade, pharmaceutical companies work without pay, hoping not to be rejected. An average of $2.6 billion of debt is acquired in the Research and Development stage (Stooksberry np).
Creating a new product is a huge gamble, so obviously, small companies very rarely enter the pharmaceutical industry. Only large companies, like Mylan, are able to take on such an amount of
Hastily reaching down to grab his …show more content…
Further, an estimated 3.6 million people depend on the drug (Stooksberry np). The price of Mylan’s automated epinephrine injector skyrocketed from $56 to $300; however, a customer will spend at least $600, since they are sold in packs of two (Popkin np). This packaging is a result of needing a dose every 15 minutes in an emergency (Mangan np). One single-use EpiPen is not enough to save a victim in anaphylactic shock.
Parents with at-risk children are at an even worse disadvantage. They are usually required to supply two EpiPens for school, as well as for the home. Also, EpiPens expire annually, so they cannot safely be saved from previous years (Willingham np). American Pharmacists Association’s Mohamed Jalloh explains the importance of using recommended dates: “The primary concern is that epinephrine will oxidize over time, and because of that, create a byproduct that is associated with hallucinations and other psychiatric symptoms,” (Jalloh qtd. in Expired EpiPens: What You Need to Know …show more content…
If drugs were mislabeled, no consequences were given to companies for incorrect data. The Food and Drug Administration now verifies statistic accuracy and ensures products are safe for consumption (FDA.org np). Without this public service, individuals with allergies or dietary restrictions would struggle purchasing safe goods. Also, the general population would not have complete knowledge of their drugs or the peace of mind we have today. The Food and Drug administration allows Americans to enjoy some of the safest products in the world (FDA.org np).
Over the years, however, the FDA has continued to institute higher standards and stricter regulations. In fact, only one out of 5,000 new medications is ever released to the public (Willingham np). Because of these stringent rules, the process of approval is very lengthy and costly; furthermore, 12 years is the average time a company must spend testing and observing a new product (Willingham np). For over a decade, pharmaceutical companies work without pay, hoping not to be rejected. An average of $2.6 billion of debt is acquired in the Research and Development stage (Stooksberry np).
Creating a new product is a huge gamble, so obviously, small companies very rarely enter the pharmaceutical industry. Only large companies, like Mylan, are able to take on such an amount of