STATEHOUSE (Jan. 17, 2018)—The Indiana House of Representatives on Thursday will consider State Rep. Kevin Mahan’s (R-Hartford City) proposal that would allow for EMTs to use less costly alternatives to EpiPens to help save lives.
“The most common auto-injectable form of epinephrine, the EpiPen, costs anywhere from $360 to $600 per dose and can put a financial burden on local emergency service budgets,” Mahan said. “Not only is this expensive, but EpiPens also have a relatively short shelf life of about 18 months. This legislation would give EMTs the flexibility to administer epinephrine through a pre-loaded syringe or by loading their own syringes, which is considerably less expensive.”
Mahan said this bill could reduce spending on epinephrine from $600 per dose to $6 to $10 per dose in counties across the state. EpiPens are used by paramedics in response to life-threatening situations caused by asthma or severe allergic reactions.
If approved by the House, the bill will move to the Senate for further consideration. To watch the bill be presented, a livestream of the House session can be viewed at 10 a.m. on Thursday online at iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Kevin Mahan (R-Hartford City) represents House District 31, which includes
Blackford County and portions of Delaware, Grant and Wells counties.
A high-resolution photo of Mahan can be downloaded by clicking here.
