wapiti Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/29/investing/generic-epipen-mylan-discount/ The surprise move is the latest attempt by Mylan to silence the uproar ignited by a more than 400% increase in EpiPen prices. The launch comes ahead of looming competition from Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA), which is hoping to launch a generic EpiPen of its own as early as next year, pending FDA approval. Mylan said it plans to launch the generic version in "several weeks" at a cost of $300 per two-pack carton, compared with $608 for the branded EpiPen. Mylan didn't specify what discounts -- if any -- it is offering on this $300 generic price. It's also not clear why consumers would buy the more expensive branded EpiPen if, as Mylan describes it, it's exactly the same as the generic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Maybe this is what is behind the original increase--making the branded version ridiculously expensive so that when the still ridiculously priced generic version is launched people will think they are getting a good deal? May also be an insurance ploy--insurance benefits for generics are often better than for branded drugs, so if they can price the generic high they can milk insurance companies for more? Still preposterous. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 IMO, from a business point of view, the recent price increase was gross overreach, a huge PR mistake. The introduction of the generic is one way to salvage the PR situation. They will still make quite a tidy profit, of course. That was the price for the brand-name just a few years ago - they could have left it there with little more than the usual patient grumbling. It'll be interesting to see what happens with price when generic competitors can really get their versions off the ground. Let's hope the FDA is...efficient and fair. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 I am hoping a competitor comes out soon. I don't like dealing with this company right now. I am worried about the integrity of the product at this point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 (edited) I hope this spurs Congress and others to address the ridiculousness that does not allow Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate drug prices like every other country's national health plan does. IMHO, there is absolutely no reason why US consumers should pay more than those in Western Europe or Canada. They are not recouping drug development/research costs with this meds. $300 is still $200 too much. Edited August 29, 2016 by umsami 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 They were $300 for a dual pack (name brand) just a few years ago. Our first epi-pens, which we got 2006ish, was a dual pack for under $150. This is bad PR move #2 by Mylan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Anyone want to take on the price of asthma or ADD meds or biologics next? All of those are crazy expensive for being as old as they are. Budesonide/Pulmicort has been out since the early 1980s. It's $7 in the rest of the world, and $200ish here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 There are other generics available, or at least one anyway. Lineage Theraputic: http://www.epinephrineautoinject.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera33 Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Mylan has made Epipen so synonymous with "epinephrine auto-injector" that there are allergists who won't prescribe the generic, citing familiarity with and ease of use of the Epipen. My daughter's allergist won't prescribe the generic, so we ordered her Epipens from a Canadian pharmacy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Dh is lookinf into adrenaclick which we just found out about. Myland forgot that its profit and reputation is in the hands of the consumer. Serious overreach that alienated a lot of people. I am not impressed with their scrambling to c.y.a. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Anyone want to take on the price of asthma or ADD meds or biologics next? All of those are crazy expensive for being as old as they are. Budesonide/Pulmicort has been out since the early 1980s. It's $7 in the rest of the world, and $200ish here. Yeh, no kidding. DS's monthly maintenance meds, OOP: $550. Add in epipens and rescue inhalers to be kept on hand, and it is insane. There is something so very wrong here. I shudder to think of not having insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Someone mentioned in another thread that many schools will only accept Epi Pen. If so, will the schools accept this new generic, or will people still be stuck buying the name brand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 I remember back when I was in high school, offering to go get my grandma's medications at the pharmacy. I paid for them (it was not a lot...and something I could afford via my babysitting/Fast Food jobs), but she was so grateful. It was really eye opening to me just how tight her budget was living on just social security. She worked hard all of her life, starting at 16, too, when she graduated from high school. (Around WWI) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Someone mentioned in another thread that many schools will only accept Epi Pen. If so, will the schools accept this new generic, or will people still be stuck buying the name brand? Do they mean the brand specific or an auto injector vs syringe and bottle? I can't fathom a school being able to specify brand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 I think most schools mean "auto injector". I know a lot of parents who were complaining when Auvi-Q went off the market that they needed to replace multiples (school, home, after school care...), so obviously those were acceptable without carrying the Epipen name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) Here is a surprise (to me): We picked up epipens yesterday, and got the first time ever - they gave us generic. It's not Mylan brand, it's from Adrenaclick. Our ins covers 100%, with no copay, once we hit our deductible, so I have no idea how much it cost. The packaging doesn't say. It looks fine, slightly different, a bit more fussy and I'm worried that in a pinch, the people with DS might not know how to use it, but I have to hope people will keep their heads and look at the directions, since it's not as familiar as an epipen. Here's the major drawback: it's glass. 😱 That doesn't bode well for riding around on the waist of a very active, rough and tumble boy. It's in a case, but how protective it will be - no idea. All in all, I'm happy that the ins co stuck it to Mylan. :) ETA: I was wrong. It's not glass! Whew. Edited September 1, 2016 by Spryte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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