Hidden amidst all the sanctimonious verbal attacks and political over-promises to save people from Big Pharma’s greedy clutches is a simple but painful truth, confirmed by the Epipen debacle. Though Washington decries Mylan’s monopoly power and price gouging, it is Washington that created and protects Mylan’s monopoly.

Epinephrine (Epi) is our naturally occurring “Fight or Flight” hormone, intended to protect us in high stress situations. One of its manifold effects is to open the airways so more air can get in and out. This allows us to run away from an enemy (flight) or win a conflict we can’t avoid (fight.) In patients with asthma and in those with allergies that suddenly close down the air tubes, called anaphylaxis, the immediate administration of Epi can be the difference between life and death.