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NEW YORK (AP) — Even though the maker of the EpiPen is expanding programs that help patients pay for it, the company -- Mylan -- isn't budging on the price of the emergency allergy treatment.
The price of the two-dose package topped $600 earlier this year, up from about $94 just nine years ago according to a price-tracking database. And the increase has drawn anger from Congress and from families that have to pay for it.
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch told CNBC today that lowering the price was not an option. She said, "Had we reduced the list price, I couldn't ensure that everyone who needs an EpiPen gets one."
Mylan did say, however, that it was doubling the eligibility for its patient assistance program to people with incomes four times higher than the federal poverty level.
One health researcher says insurers and employers will keep having to pay the higher price, and that it will be reflected in higher premiums. Sabrina Corlette of Georgetown University says, "Everybody suffers, except the Mylan investors."
Hillary Clinton and members of Congress from both parties have quickly ramped up criticism of the company and its pricing.
EpiPens are used in emergencies to treat severe allergies that can lead to anaphylactic (an-uh-fih-LAK'-tik) shock. Roughly 40 million Americans have severe allergies to spider bites, bee stings and foods like nuts, eggs and shellfish.
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173-c-25-(Jerry Bodlander, AP correspondent)-"uninsured or underinsured"-AP correspondent Jerry Bodlander reports the EpiPen's manufacturer is taking several steps to make the device more affordable. (25 Aug 2016)
<<CUT *173 (08/25/16)££ 00:25 "uninsured or underinsured"
132-a-15-(Joyce Brewer, mother of 6-year-old son with food allergies, in AP interview)-"higher deductible plans"-Georgia mom Joyce Brewer says the makers of EpiPen don't seem to accept any responsibility for the big price hikes. (25 Aug 2016)
<<CUT *132 (08/25/16)££ 00:15 "higher deductible plans"
133-a-13-(Joyce Brewer, mother of 6-year-old son with food allergies, in AP interview)-"our family spends"-Georgia mom Joyce Brewer says the family is trying to figure out how to cope with the higher cost of her son's EpiPens. (25 Aug 2016)
<<CUT *133 (08/25/16)££ 00:13 "our family spends"
172-w-36-(Jerry Bodlander, AP correspondent, with Tonya Winders, CEO, Allergy and Asthma Network)--Drugmaker Mylan is moving to lower the cost of its emergency allergy treatment. AP correspondent Jerry Bodlander reports. (25 Aug 2016)
<<CUT *172 (08/25/16)££ 00:36
APPHOTO NYBZ410: FILE - This Oct. 10, 2013, file photo, shows an EpiPen epinephrine auto-injector, a Mylan product, in Hendersonville, Texas. Mylan, now in the crosshairs over severe price hikes for its EpiPen, said Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, it will expand programs that lower out-of-pocket costs by as much as half. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File) (25 Aug 2016)
<<APPHOTO NYBZ410 (08/25/16)££
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