Elizabeth McCullough- EpiPen Prices Lead Some People to Make Their Own

Summary: The rise of the pricing of EpiPens has been a subject of major controversy for several weeks now. These life saving devices that once cost $94 in 2007, now upwards of $600. With a large percentage of people in the U.S. having serious food and environmental allergies, these medical tools can be vital to keeping people alive. Desperate people who cannot afford to buy these absolute necessities will do anything to keep themselves and their love ones alive, including making their own EpiPens at home. A highly intelligent group of hackers known as the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective, which fights to make important medical drugs and devices available to those who need them, have even released a video on how to make your own epinephrine ejecting devices at home. These tools are being called "EpiPencils", and can be made only costing about $35. This option is becoming very attractive to those who simply do not have the money to buy the materials needed to keep them alive.

Analysis: The making of these EpiPencils is not only just, but also completely legal if you have a prescription for epinephrine. The only problem with them, is that devices made at home and not approved by the FDA has its risks. Though there have been no serious issues reported by people who have used these make-shift EpiPens, there is a chance people could develop infection or other complications. That is why these crucial resources need to be made accessible to the people who need them.

Synthesis: These acts can be synthesized to the decisions made by colonists when taxes like the Stamp Act or the Tea Act were passed. When prices for necessary material became to expensive, the people resorted to unconventional methods such as smuggling to get their goods.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/24/technology/diy-epipen-affordable-alternatives/index.html