Porter said he wanted to buy three sets of EpiPens to keep in their cars and at home, but he said it’s more than $300 for him to purchase the device in the United States. The syringes, prefilled with the hormone epinephrine, expire after a year.
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But days later, in an apparent about-face, Mylan said on its website that it was reducing the cost of its EpiPens through a savings card which will cover up to $300 for the two-pack. It will be available in both 0.15 mg and 0.30 mg strengths. 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. “I expect to receive answers, along with pertinent information and analysis regarding Mylan’s pricing decisions, through an upcoming briefing that our committee has asked Mylan to provide”.
Facing criticism on the price hike from patients, lawmakers and Consumer Reports, Mylan has announced it will introduce a generic version of the EpiPen that will sell for $300.
Mylan said it also meant to continue to market and distribute branded EpiPen.
With just one competitor, Mylan has a near monopoly on the device. But the price may also be low enough to deter others from taking on the risk and expense of developing their own generics.
Currently, these cost $600. The EpiPen maker announced Monday that it will begin selling a new generic version of its device, which is used to stop potentially deadly allergic reactions, for about half the current list price. It has also come up with other ways for lowering uninsured costs.
He noted that when the first generic drug enters the market, it usually gets a very shallow discount off the brand-name list price – maybe 5 or 10 percent.
Responding to an outcry over the increased price of its allergy auto-injector EpiPen, Mylan (MYL) plans to launch a cheaper generic alternative, reported Reuters.
How much people pay for EpiPens varies with insurance coverage. For instance, customers of Express Scripts Holding Co., the nation’s largest prescription benefits manager, pay $73.50 on average, a price the company has kept fairly stable for a couple years.
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On Thursday, the company said it would offer savings cards and double patient eligibility for assistance, such that a family of four with an annual income of almost $100,000 would pay nothing out of pocket for an injector.
