Millions of Americans have some type of allergy, ranging from food items to insect stings and bites. People with severe enough allergies are advised to carry around an EpiPen with them at all times. In fact, experts recommend that they have one in their bag, home, car, school or work, and with a parent or spouse, according to MotherNatureNetwork.com. The pharmaceutical company that makes EpiPens even recommends always having two for safety – there is always the chance that one won’t fire, or one isn’t strong enough.

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The definition of Epipen is a brand name for an epinephrine auto-injector device that can be used by anyone to deliver medicine and manage potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reactions to allergens. With allergic reactions, timing is everything – having access to an EpiPen could mean life or death.

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There has been a significant increase in the price of EpiPens in the last month. According to the New York Times, the list price for a pack of two EpiPens is now over $600, up from just over $100 in 2017 – an increase of more than 450 percent. A pharmaceutical company by the name of Mylan has a monopoly over the product, which has allowed this increase in price. The company said the cost of the product “has changed over time to better reflect important product features and the value the product provides.” However, according to Dr. Purbi Parikh, an allergist, neither the medicine in the EpiPen nor the device itself has changed in recent years.

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EpiPens expire every year and currently there are shortages across the U.S. since May that have been “chalked up to manufacturing, supply, and delivery issues,” explained Dr. Ryan Guinness from ABC News.  This news followed the recent FDA approval of a generic, cheaper version of the Epipen. However, it has not been determined when the generic version will become available.

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In the meantime, the most popular season to purchase new EpiPens is upon parents and students - back to school season. Of course, parents are worried about the price and shortage for their K-12 aged kids, but what does this mean for the average college student? Something important to consider is the level of caution college dining halls take when it comes to serving foods that can cause problems for certain people. Are they labeling everything correctly? Are they using separate utensils when cooking? Some people’s allergies are so severe that they can’t even be in the same room with the thing they are allergic to.

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Marissa Penland, a sophomore at Penn State Behrend said, “I have a pretty severe peanut allergy, but I don’t own an EpiPen; it’s just too expensive. I have to be really careful at restaurants and even on campus to make sure I am safe and don’t go into anaphylactic shock.”

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However, there is a resolution in sight. As mentioned before, there is a lot of work going into making the Epipen, or something similar, more accessible to everyone. Drug store chains like CVS are eventually going to offer a cheaper alternative to the EpiPen called Adrenaclick, priced at $109.99 for a two pack. The Allergy and Asthma Network is also working to get the Epipen on the preventative medicine list, so health insurance companies will have to cover the price. Ultimately, the generic version of the EpiPen could mean there is no choice that has to be made – budget sensitive people with allergies will have a better chance of being safe and won’t have to worry about such a large expense.