Consumers who are not aware of the availability of the generic version or can not trust it will continue to be ripped off by the cost of the branded version. In this case, the pen will be the same, but the packaging might be a different color or carry just the “epinephrine auto-injectors” title.
Advertisement
Mylan said it expects to launch the generic alternative at a list price of $300, compared to the branded list price of $600.
On August 29, the company that makes EpiPens, Mylan N.V., announced they will begin producing a generic version at half the price.
The raging debate over EpiPen pricing has offered a surprisingly wide window into the complicated world of prescription drug pricing, in which powerful drug companies, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers and federal health programs all play a major role. And never mind that Mylan incorporated a year ago in the Netherlands and moved its tax home to the United Kingdom to take advantage of lower taxes – although it’s hard to blame them since the USA, in a terrific case of short-sighted policy, has the highest statutory corporate tax rate among developed countries. The generic drug has been proved effective and is perceived as a good alternative over high-priced EpiPen devices.
And like other drugmakers that increase prices sharply when generic competition is on the horizon, Mylan has been taking bigger annual price increases on EpiPens the last few years.
Democrat Elizabeth Warren and 19 other US senators voiced concern to the chief executive of Mylan NV about the high cost of its EpiPen on Tuesday, calling the device used in the case of life-threatening allergies “exorbitantly expensive”. However they say they now pledge to make the EpiPen more affordable. 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.
The product will be available as a two-pack carton, with versions containing 0.15 and 0.30 mg of epinephrine, which is used to quickly treat the severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.
Heather Bresch, the CEO of Mylan, has defended the rise in price of the branded version.
He noted that the price in Canada is $200 for a two-pack of EpiPens and that the price in France is even lower.
Several lawmakers, including U.S. Sen.
Advertisement
Additionally, patients enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid are ineligible for the copay assistance program due to a government’s ban on couponing for the two programs, prompting the senators to ask Mylan how it has worked to ensure access to such patients while ensuring they do not receive Savings Cards.
