Mylan said on Monday it expected to launch the generic product “in several weeks” at a list price of $300, a highly unusual move considering the branded product is still under patent protection and rival treatments have failed to get regulatory clearances.
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With just one competitor, Mylan has a near monopoly on the device.
It said activists would deliver petitions from more than 600,000 consumers and allergy sufferers to Mylan’s headquarters in Pennsylvania’s Canonsburg tomorrow, demanding further price cuts.
Pharmaceutical company Mylan has announced plans to launch its first generic EpiPen.
Gipson says it’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not almost enough.
EpiPen is a preloaded injection of epinephrine (adrenaline) used in case of a risky allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis that could cause death if untreated. Rival Adrenaclick carries a list price of $461, and there’s a generic version, but doctors typically prescribe EpiPen, originally launched in 1987, because it’s so well known.
Mylan, which mainly sells generic medicines, said Monday it will begin selling its generic version for $300 for a pair of EpiPens, in doses for adults or children, like the current EpiPens.
Some analysts have estimated that the tiny amount of epinephrine in an EpiPen is worth barely $1, and the auto-injectors might cost as little as $5. Each EpiPen 2-Pak and EpiPen Jr 2-Pak contains two single auto-injectors, instructions for use and a training device, with no drug product or needle, to help patients become familiar with the administration technique.
Last Thursday, Mylan offered more financial aid to patients getting EpiPens, including coupon cards covering up to $300 off patient copayments, triple the $100 discounts previously offered.
Mylan has not now released a name for the generic EpiPen expected to be released later this year. Today the branded product costs about $US600 ($793).
However, the compounding pharmacy Imprimis Pharmaceuticals said it may have a version available for individual patients in a few months. Second, the company announced it would double the eligible income for families who needed assistance to purchase the drug, without having to pay out of pocket for it.
Under vast scrutiny and criticism, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch comments that this move is a simpler alternative than rolling back the price nearer to its original cost. However, the difference in pricing comes down to the way the drug is administered, making a $15 commercial option “really challenging”.
Mylan said it also meant to continue to market and distribute branded EpiPen.
How much people pay for EpiPens varies with insurance coverage.
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Shares of Mylan NV slipped 34 cents to $42.69 in morning trading Monday, while broader indexes rose slightly.
