UPDATED: CVS offers low-cost epinephrine auto-injector at less than half the price of EpiPen, its generic
Mylan's brand-name EpiPen costs $649.99 for a two pack; its authorized generic costs roughly $340, CVS said.
CVS Health, which owns more than 9,600 retail pharmacies and 1,100 walk-in clinics, will offer a lower-cost generic version of the Adrenaclick epinephrine auto-injector, targeting Mylan after the brand-name EpiPen maker hiked prices on the life-saving device.
EpiPen contains epinephrine, and is used as an emergency treatment to combat severe allergic reactions. CVS Health said their low-cost epinephrine auto-injector, which is an authorized generic for Adrenaclick and is manufactured by Impax Laboratories, will be available at CVS pharmacies for $109.99 per two-pack.
That's less than half of what the authorized generic alternative for EpiPen costs and nearly six times lower than the $649 Mylan charges for the brand-name two-pack, CVS said.
[Also: Short EpiPen shelf-life makes cost spike an even greater concern]
Over the past year, roughly 150,000 people signed a petition asking for a lower-price option, and lawmakers blasted Mylan for making the drug potentially unaffordable.
Mylan acquired the EpiPen in 2007 and at that time the Epipen cost $94.
The 400 percent spike this past spring sparked controversy with lawmakers, patients and onlookers alike. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch took the blame for the huge hike, saying they "absolutely raised the price and take full responsibility for that." She also said the price hike was due to improvements on the product once they acquired it.
"We are thrilled to work with CVS Health to increase access to our low-cost generic Adrenaclick epinephrine auto-injector," said Douglas Boothe, President of the Generics Division of Impax Laboratories. "Families need and deserve an affordable option to treat severe allergies."
Mylan has struck back at those who bill the CVS option as a generic EpiPen, citing trademark rules and stressing that the two devices are not "therapeutic equivalents."
"Adrenaclick and EpiPen® Auto-Injector are not therapeutic equivalents, and the auto-injectors do not operate in the same manner. Patients who purchase the Adrenaclick generic from CVS mistakenly believing it to be a "generic EpiPen" may suffer serious adverse health consequences during an anaphylactic episode."
Twitter: @BethJSanborn
