Advertisement EpiPen cost on the rise: Bristol boy saved by medication Family says EpiPen saved their son's life last week Share Shares Copy Link Copy

EpiPen maker Mylan has recently come under fire for a near 450 percent price hike. The cost of an EpiPen once $100 in 2004 now soars over $600. So many people need epinephrine because of food allergies or bee allergies. The hike in price of an EpiPen comes amid outrage over news Mylan executives have been given enormous raises. Including the CEO, who over eight years received a 671 percent raise.Watch this storyNBC5 spoke with a Bristol family who said an EpiPen device saved their sons life just last week.Wednesday was the first time Luke Tedesco played outside since a family trip to a Maine beach almost turned deadly.“Within minutes Luke had disrupted a bees nest and got stung several times,” Luke’s mom Carly Tedesco said.As the 4-year-old started experiencing anaphylaxic shock, his parents were not sure if he would make it to the hospital in time.“We had no cell service. We had no map. We didn't know where we were or how long it would before we got any help, so we drove and drove until we could call 911,” Carly Tedesco said.As the family waited for EMT’s to arrive Luke’s symptoms progressed. His body began to swell and his airway to close.“He was becoming unresponsive, it was terrifying. We were able to radio the ambulance and met up with them. He received an EpiPen injection and some Benadryl via an IV,” Carly Tedesco said.Luke was then treated at a Maine hospital. The next stop was to a local pharmacy to pick up a prescribed EpiPen. “Of course we were still in Maine and we went to their local pharmacy and they would not accept our local insurance that was out of state, so they quoted us over $600 to fill the prescription for the EpiPen,” Carly Tedesco said.The Tedescos passed on dishing out the $600, leaving them in a tough spot as they traveled home to Bristol, and to a pharmacy that accepted their insurance.“In the meantime we didn't let Luke outdoors or out of our sight until we could get home and fill the prescription,” Carly Tedesco said.As the price of EpiPens reaches an all-time high the family worries about what the lifesaving medication could cost them.“This is crushing American families. People are already struggling to make ends meet, it's paycheck to paycheck for so many people, including ourselves and to have to dish out hundreds of dollars it just unfair, it’s just totally unfair,” Carly Tedesco said.There is a generic version of the EpiPen called Adrenaclick that costs about $142 at the pharmacy. But Vermont physician Dr. Edward Kent told NBC5 this device can be unreliable leaving patients forced to purchase the EpiPen instead.