For those outraged over Mylan’s rising cost of EpiPens, a Miami Valley, Ohio, doctor offers an incredibly affordable option. Dr. Marcus Romanello is sharing publicly how to put together your own epinephrine injector kit for less than $10. All it takes is being comfortable with needles.
Dr. Romanello serves as the “Chief Medical Officer and the Emergency Medicine Physician at Ft. Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton.” Furthermore, he is intimately acquainted with the importance of EpiPens in a household containing those with strong allergies. He said:
“I have a child, my oldest is actually allergic to tree nuts and has had anaphylactic reactions before and we’ve had to use his EpiPen before.”
He added:
“The number of children with food allergies has spiked over the past decade or so.”
Simultaneously, he has noticed a solid rise in the price of EpiPens.
“The sudden rise in cost is alarming because I worry about parents who are literally having to choose between carrying a life-saving device and putting food on the table.”
Fortunately, Dr. Romanello’s “EpiKit” is easily purchased, put together, and administered—all for less than $10. Again, you just have to be comfortable enough to give and/or receive a shot. Here’s the goods that will help many save hundreds of dollars per would-be purchased EpiPen—Dr. Romanello said:
“I paid $5.89, cash price for this (bottle of epinephrine), no insurance required.”
That’s less than $6 for something that very well may save your life, or the life of a loved one.
After that, all you need is a syringe and something to keep the pair in—something like “an Altoid tin.” All in all, the kit should cost less than $10—compared to several hundred dollars or more!
Dr. Romanello shares how to administer the life-Saving shot
“Attach the needle. Pop the top and draw up the prescribed amount.”
Of course, Dr. Romanello points out, one loses the expertise of a doctor’s demonstration for administering a shot, as well as the ease by which the EpiPen’s design administers one.
“It does require some degree of medical comfort with a needle and syringe, drawing up the appropriate dose.”
There’s good news, however, for those unsure of the appropriate dose, having purchased epinephrine over the counter sans a doctor’s prescription. Dr. Romanello stated:
“If someone were to draw up a little too much, not an issue. In a setting of anaphylactic reaction too much is not going to hurt.”
Dr. Romanello recognizes the stark living conditions many face daily under the current economy, despite the public being told all the time that it is “improving.” He knows many families will hold onto expired EpiPens in order to save money, and Dr. Romanello would rather show folks how to put together their own, unexpired “EpiKits” for their own safety.
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According to, ABC22:
“School nurses are allowed to give the shots so you can bring the kit into your child’s school.”
Dr. Romanello’s solution sounds solid all around, and can help many get the medicine they may desperately need one day—at an affordable price, too. That’s a win for everyone but Mylan.
