Manhasset Times 090216

Serving Manhasset

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Friday, September 2, 2016

vol. 4, no. 36

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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS PREVIEW

JOURNALIST TO TALK POLITICS

MARTINS, PIDOT, SUOZZI SQUARE OFF

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EpiPen price hike swells EMS budget

Scot tISH FESt

Manhasset-Lakeville chief: ‘cost has really just gotten excessive’ By C h r i s A dA m s For the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District, the recent price hike for EpiPens has had an unwelcome budgetary impact. “We’ve seen the prices steadily increasing over the past several years,” said Lee Genser, the district’s captain of emergency medical services. “I’m in charge of procuring the equipment for the ambulance unit, and as it happens, we’ve had to increase the cost in our budget.” The maker of the EpiPen, which delivers epinephrine in a preloaded syringe to treat severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis, increased the price from about $50 per pen to $600 for a two-pack. In the face of heavy criticism, the drug’s maker, Mylan, announced on Monday that it would start producing generic EpiPen packs for half the cost, or $300, in coming weeks. The company,

which has been producing the EpiPen since 2007, effectively holds a monopoly on the medication used for immediate relief after a potentially fatal reaction. Generic competitors for the medication have either been delayed in coming to the market or recalled, leaving buyers with little options, according to The New York Times. “The cost has really just gotten excessive,” Genser said. “[We] had to remove money from a different group within the fire department to cover the increase.” Genser’s emergency company has three ambulances and a first response truck, all of which are required to carry two epinephrine pens for adult and child doses. Each two-pack costs about $600 for the fire district, resulting in a total yearly cost of $4,800 for the one medication, he said. The epinephrine expires after about a year, so the pens become an anContinued on Page 75

Photo By chRis aDams

the Long island scottish Festival and highland Games took place on saturday at old Westbury Gardens, bringing in over 6,000 people. See story on page 3.

Martins’ request to delay vote for Congress rejected By N o A h mANskAr

a federal judge on Tuesday rejected Republican Jack Martins’ request to delay it a month. Judge Frederick J. Scullin’s The 3rd Congressional Dis- ruling in Albany federal court trict’s general election will pro- means only a month will sepaceed as planned on Nov. 8 after rate the general election and an

Oct. 6 Republican primary between Martins and Philip Pidot. The winner will face Democrat Tom Suozzi. Martins, an Old Westbury state senator, wanted the elecContinued on Page 86

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