Families and members of the health sector in the United States are now in uproar over the exploding cost of the EpiPen, which has gone up from (U.S.) $93 in 2007 to today’s reported $608 for a two-pack of the familiar auto-injector device. The generic version will be available in both 0.15 milligram (mg) and 0.30 mg strengths, the Associated Press reported. WHSV’s previous coverage of the EpiPen controversy can be found in the “Related Stories” section of this article, or by clicking the images in this story. This generic launch follows the augmented patient assistance program and $300 savings card for the brand-name version that Mylan put in place last week.
Advertisement
Mylan has faced intense scrutiny for boosting EpiPen prices in recent years – up from just $100 in 2009 to its current price of roughly $600.
Facing pressure, the company said it would seek to expand access to EpiPens by effectively reducing 50 percent of the cost for patients who pay out-of-pocket for the drug’s list price.
Mylan said a family of four with annual income of up to $97,200 will pay nothing out of pocket for the drug kit.
Mylan is the latest company to be caught up in the growing outrage, including from Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, at apparently egregious drug price increases.
“Our belief is that our device is simpler to use”, he said.
“It’s highly unusual for a generic product to come out in this way”, Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation at the University of MI, said Monday in an email.
Khan said an insured patient with Mylan-provided savings vouchers contributed about $30 out of pocket for a two-pack of the EpiPens a year ago. One of its competitors, Auvi-Q, was recalled in October 2015 [Teva’s EpiPen generic was also rejected in March] giving Mylan a near monopoly with its product. In March, the Food and Drug Administration identified “major deficiencies” in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd’s application for a generic version.
EpiPen, which Mylan acquired in 2007, are preloaded injections of epinephrine (adrenaline) used in case of a risky allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis that could cause death if untreated.
“I would like to see the price become something that everyone can afford”, Rogers said.
“The weirdness of a generic drug company offering a generic version of its own branded but off-patent product is a signal that something is wrong”, Public Citizen President Robert Weissman said in a statement.
You might be surprised to learn that Mylan doesn’t actually make the EpiPen, but sources it from Pfizer; maybe management will blame pharma’s Grand Acquisitor for the rapid price increases. None is likely to hit the US market until well into next year.
Advertisement
Ronny Gal, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company told the New York Times that the decision to offer a generic was a “smart (and real) move” on Mylan’s part. But health advocates say pricing spikes are not a factor here, where drugs pricing is controlled by a federal review board.
