The EpiPen: The kind of proof we don’t want to have

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch’s defense of the EpiPen price hikes is terrifying. And nauseating. And utterly heartbreaking.

Nobody is saying you can’t make money on it, Mylan. But you’re really going to sit there and defend the decision to make that much money by hanging worried parents and innocent kids out to dry?

Is the money really worth that much to you?

How much did you get for selling your conscience?

More than ever, companies need to stop and think about how they can put people at the forefront of their thinking. They need to stop operating within their own spreadsheets and instead think about the real world beyond their corporate offices. They need to stop focusing on their own problems and instead think about people’s problems. This is how you truly grow as a company—by stepping outside of yourself and focusing on what really matters to people.

We can all see that Heather Bresch didn’t do that. She chose to grow her company by satisfying her own needs, not those of the real men, women, and children her products were designed for. Imagine how this story might have turned out differently if Heather Bresch had chosen to put people first. If she had taken the time to stop and think about what that means. We might all be consumed by her story for an entirely different reason.

It shouldn’t take a story like this for everyone to stop, think, and see why putting people first matters.

We should all be better than that.