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Epi-pen price?


wapiti
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I just got a shock at Walgreens, where the price is now over $450 for the twin pack (I usually get two twin packs, one for school and one for home, so the lady was quoting a price over $900).  Where do you buy your Epi-pens?

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We have insurance but haven't yet reached the now-gigantic deductible.

 

Eta, I'm trying to get through to Costco to see if they carry it and what the price is.  I'm wondering about online pharmacies but I wouldn't know where to begin.

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WAY TOO MUCH. We've paid over $400 per twin pack per year for them for a couple of years now. We homeschool so we only get 1 set per year. They are subject to deductible and deductibles are so high, for us at least, that we always end up paying full price for them. I suppose I'm grateful that we haven't hit our deductible since it means no one has been sick to the tune of $10,000 this year, but sheesh. It hurts.

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LOL I just called but have to try again.  I will be looking to the coupon if we are eligible, but I'm thinking of only ordering one twin pack, for school, and keeping the old school set for home - they expire in November.

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No dice - Costco's price is even higher!!  $530

 

I was just at the ped yesterday for checkups... we would need a new prescription if we went with another brand, I'm assuming.  Plus there are ten thousand different school forms that specifically say Epipen, IIRC.

 

On the upside, the albuterol inhaler was only $67 (proventil?) which is less than we paid for our old brand (pro-air or something?).  I bought the inhaler.  I did not buy the Epipens yet.

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We got ours at Fred Meyer, not sure if you have one where you live.  The cost last September was about $350 for a twin pack.  We are fortunate that his insurance covers it.  You can check the manufacturer for coupons.

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$100 max savings for each 2 pk.

 

Call your Dr. I don't know how many times I've gone to pick up a prescription and couldn't afford it. The Dr would send a new one right away.

 

I don't understand. Do you mean the Dr would just give you the medication for free?

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That's normal. I cash pay and my epipens kill us.

 

Do yourself a favor and download GoodRx from the App Store, or go to their website. Then look for adrenaclick autoinjector on there. There is a coupon for it at Walgreens for $170 total, two injectors in the package. They have to special order it and will sometimes say they can't but that's not true. Their supplier DOES have it, and even if it takes a week to arrive as it did for me it is worth the $300 savings!

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What I think I understand is that the medicine is very inexpensive but I am guessing that the delivery method has some intellectual property protection.

 

I have been buying Epipens for 11 years with various types of insurance, but it seems to me that the price has really shot up in the last year or two.  No pun intended.

 

(I can't call the ped to say we can't afford it, which would be untrue, but I could request a brand change.)

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You can ask for any brand, even if they write a prescription for a specific one. The pharmacist can work with you on that, no problem. You shouldn't need to augment your prescription to get a less expensive one.

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You can ask for any brand, even if they write a prescription for a specific one. The pharmacist can work with you on that, no problem. You shouldn't need to augment your prescription to get a less expensive one.

Epi pen is brand specific so the pharmacist cant change it without the doctors permission..

 

Tp the op

Ask your pharmacist if the can order an epinephrine pen for you. It is a generic one, but is not generic for Epi pen so you will need a new prescription. The pharmacy can call the doc to get that changed for you, or you can, either way.

 

AuviQ is another brand. You may check their website to see if there is a coupon with a max on the website. If there is no max then it maybe the easiest to get your hands on.

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I've had to deal with this four times in the last few months. Every doctor but one has prescribed Epipen, with the ER doctor prescribing epinephrine in the adult dosage. Each time I have had the liberty to choose which specific brand I wanted, it didn't have to be an epipen. If I didn't ask for the prices on all epinephrine and just let them fill it they'd give me epipen brand, but the pharmacist absolutely has leeway in which brand they fill. It's like requesting a generic in place of the name brand medication prescribed. It is a legal filling of that prescription to give the same substance in the same dose but a different brand.

 

I sit on our state's Board of Pharmacy. We have a whole ridiculously thick set of regulation and statutes governing this. It is not against the law or even best practices for a pharmacist to use judgment in what brand they fill a prescription with, especially if the financial cost is a burden to the patient. Oftentimes they will also call and discuss prescriptions with the prescriber, especially if there is a potential interaction there or the dosage requested is unavailable.

 

I've never needed a new prescription for that. At most, a phonecall has been required because the augment to the prescription is not a substantive change in medication or dose. If it is substantive, then a new prescription needs to be written.

 

As far as I can tell from NABP, this is a national standard of care that every other board has adopted, not just ours.

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And for the record, without insurance Auvi-Q is the absolute worst on cost, because it is newest. Adrenaclick is the least expensive, especially with that coupon. GoodRx is fabulous - LOVE that app. My allergist was the one who told me about it, and it has saved us a ton of money by helping us shop around for deals we didn't know about otherwise!

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We just payed $300 for epipens, with the coupon. Our doctor would not prescribe the generic, and the auvi-q cost even more. We considered moving to Canada...

 

ETA: We called around but it was cheapest at CVS for us. 

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Walmart is $517 for the twin pack.  So Walgreens is cheapest at the moment in my area.  I just printed the coupon.

 

I also read that the old epipens should still be good if the "replace" window is clear rather than amber.

 

I was just trying to get things done ahead of time; I think I'll wait until school starts next month to actually buy the refill.  Then they'll hopefully be dated good until Nov 2016, so I can use them for home epipens.

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I've had to deal with this four times in the last few months. Every doctor but one has prescribed Epipen, with the ER doctor prescribing epinephrine in the adult dosage. Each time I have had the liberty to choose which specific brand I wanted, it didn't have to be an epipen. If I didn't ask for the prices on all epinephrine and just let them fill it they'd give me epipen brand, but the pharmacist absolutely has leeway in which brand they fill. It's like requesting a generic in place of the name brand medication prescribed. It is a legal filling of that prescription to give the same substance in the same dose but a different brand.

 

I sit on our state's Board of Pharmacy. We have a whole ridiculously thick set of regulation and statutes governing this. It is not against the law or even best practices for a pharmacist to use judgment in what brand they fill a prescription with, especially if the financial cost is a burden to the patient. Oftentimes they will also call and discuss prescriptions with the prescriber, especially if there is a potential interaction there or the dosage requested is unavailable.

 

I've never needed a new prescription for that. At most, a phonecall has been required because the augment to the prescription is not a substantive change in medication or dose. If it is substantive, then a new prescription needs to be written.

 

As far as I can tell from NABP, this is a national standard of care that every other board has adopted, not just ours.

If the doctor writes 'epinephrine pen' then there 3 choices available.  Generic Epinephrine, EpiPen and Auvi-Q.  They are all epinephrine and can be used for this script.

 

If the doctor writes thee script and uses the words Epipen or Auvi-Q, there is no A/B rated generic, and it is not legal to substitute the generic that is currently available.  The pharmacist has to get permission to change the script to the generic form, or to switch from Epipen to Auvi-Q or visa versa.

 

I have worked in pharmacy for 15 years.  This is one of the few medications that has a generic on the market that can not be substituted. There was some confusion when the generic came out, and some people thought it could be substituted. Epi-pen and Auvi-Q responded and made it very clear to the pharmacies that the generic is BX rated and can not be substituted for brand. 

 

There is rumor that TEVA is making a generic for Epipen ( Link This is mentioned in the paragraph after the soft pink/peach colored  box within the text) But as far as I know,  it hasn't hit the market yet.

Link

Link

 

 

 

I have been on vacation for a few weeks and I haven't ran a script for an Epi in a few months.  So, it is possible an A/B rated generic has been released, but AFAIK, the last time I tried to process a script for Epi, there was no generic on the market.

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The cheapest is the autoinjector/adrenaclick, after the GoodRx coupon. By far. Epipen didn't appear to offer coupons for cash payers last I checked and Auvi-Q is a total rip.

 

This may vary by state of practice but LIS it only required a phonecall to prescribe me an autoinjector instead of the specified Epipen when I didn't make sure my provider indicated 'epinephrine' more generally. I agree there isn't a 'generic' in the specific sense, sloppy language on my part.

 

The phonecall to the prescriber would qualify in our state for legally augmenting the prescription. I think that has only happened the one time, though, because I am very specific that I will accept no prescription that doesn't have the absolute cheapest treatment possible - we cannot afford me going through two or four epipens said every six weeks, otherwise.

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What I think I understand is that the medicine is very inexpensive but I am guessing that the delivery method has some intellectual property protection.

 

I have been buying Epipens for 11 years with various types of insurance, but it seems to me that the price has really shot up in the last year or two.  No pun intended.

 

(I can't call the ped to say we can't afford it, which would be untrue, but I could request a brand change.)

I think that is why there is the issue with the generics.  The medication on the inside is a generic form and is therapeutically the same.  The injector is patented and thus can't be duplicated.  Since the delivery can't be proven to be exactly the same from a mechanism that is different enough, to pass the patent offices requirements, then the FDA says, they can't prove the delivery system is therapeutically the same.  

 

That is why if the doctor writes for the active ingredient, any of the 3 can be used.  If he writes for Epi or Auvi-Q, that implys a certain mechanism be used, and the pharmacy can't substitute that because the FDA says they are not proven to be equivalent.

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Epi pens are soooo expensive. It's also hard that you can't buy single ones, only double packs. From what I understand roughly 10% of allergic reactions would require the second pen, but they can only sell it in a two-pack now. Our school nurse told us that technically we could just give the school one epi-pen with the original box and if there was a dire emergency they have a second one on hand they could use.

 

So that's what we did and then kept one at home with other slightly expired epi-pens in case there was a need for a second pen. I'm comfortable with that because from what I can tell my son's allergies aren't as severe as other people's allergies and we only live five minutes from the hospital. So splitting the package between home and school could be something you could ask the school about. That way you only have to buy one two-pack.

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I also read that the old epipens should still be good if the "replace" window is clear rather than amber.

 

My son says this is right. He keeps his old expired ones for use in an emergency, as long as the window is clear.

 

We haven't found them cheaper than $400+ for a two-pack, with our high-deductible insurance.

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My allergist actually gave me a package of expiring samples to give me an extra set for home. She said they'd be good for another few months if I kept them stored out of the sun. If she's good with it, so am I!

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It seems inefficient for multiple kids to provide their school nurse with double-pack epipens, only to have most of them thrown out when they expire.  It seems like there ought to be a better solution, where parents chip in and a small supply is purchased for the school (a double pack for every two kids who may need one?  every four?), and the meds get used, earliest due date first, for whoever needs it first, and replaced as needed with fresh ones.  Of course, I suppose if the cafeteria goofs and serves peanuts or whatever and all of the kids have a reaction at once you'd need an epipen or even two per kid, but barring that scenario, I have to wonder if somehow cost and waste could be reduced in some way.  This is probably not feasible, as everyone wants to be sure that there are meds specifically for their own kids, that they know aren't expired, etc., and I don't think I'd trust anyone else to be on top of that (even the nurse), not to mention the whole insurance payment aspect of it all, but oh it would be nice if there was some way to make it work.

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You can ask for any brand, even if they write a prescription for a specific one. The pharmacist can work with you on that, no problem. You shouldn't need to augment your prescription to get a less expensive one.

 

 

This is good to hear, because the last time I asked, I was told there were no generics for the Epi-pen.

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I think that is why there is the issue with the generics.  The medication on the inside is a generic form and is therapeutically the same.  The injector is patented and thus can't be duplicated.  Since the delivery can't be proven to be exactly the same from a mechanism that is different enough, to pass the patent offices requirements, then the FDA says, they can't prove the delivery system is therapeutically the same.  

 

That is why if the doctor writes for the active ingredient, any of the 3 can be used.  If he writes for Epi or Auvi-Q, that implys a certain mechanism be used, and the pharmacy can't substitute that because the FDA says they are not proven to be equivalent.

 

I'm wondering if anyone knows when the patent expires?  I always thought medical patents were 15 years, with the possibility for a limited extension.    Seems like the Epi-pen should be nearing the end of it's protected status. 

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I think that is why there is the issue with the generics.  The medication on the inside is a generic form and is therapeutically the same.  The injector is patented and thus can't be duplicated.  Since the delivery can't be proven to be exactly the same from a mechanism that is different enough, to pass the patent offices requirements, then the FDA says, they can't prove the delivery system is therapeutically the same.  

 

That is why if the doctor writes for the active ingredient, any of the 3 can be used.  If he writes for Epi or Auvi-Q, that implys a certain mechanism be used, and the pharmacy can't substitute that because the FDA says they are not proven to be equivalent.

 

I'm wondering if anyone knows when the patent expires?  I always thought medical patents were 15 years, with the possibility for a limited extension.    Seems like the Epi-pen should be nearing the end of it's protected status. 

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I'm wondering if anyone knows when the patent expires?  I always thought medical patents were 15 years, with the possibility for a limited extension.    Seems like the Epi-pen should be nearing the end of it's protected status. 

 

I was just googling this, and while I haven't yet found an answer, there's a lot of interesting information out there, about the extreme price increases and  the new competition.

 

One disturbing thing I read was that the government really funded the research behind the auto-injector for military purposes.   Now, it's not disturbing that the government funded it, but I think it's disgusting that the company has taken a government-funded project to feed their greed.

 

I do have to do more research -- not sure about my source on the above, but if it's true, it's nauseating.

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What If You Can't Afford Your Epinephrine Auto-Injectors?

Unfortunately, many people cannot afford to buy this potentially life-saving medication. If this is the case for you, consider using one or more of the following options:

 

Use Coupons â€“ Coupons are available for all epinephrine auto-injectors for sale in the U.S. These coupons may reduce your cost to zero. It will depend on what kind of insurance coverage you have.

  • EpiPen 2-Pak® â€“ Mylan Specialty’s “$0 Co-Pay†card can be used to reduce the amount of your out-of-pocket expense up to $100 per EpiPen® two-pack. The card is good for up to three two-packs per prescription. Visithttps://www.epipen.com/copay-offer for details and card download. Offer expires 12/31/2015.
  • Auvi-Q® Two-Pack â€“ Sanofi’s “$0 Co-Pay Offer†can reduce the amount of your out-of-pocket expense up to $100 per Auvi-Q® two-pack. The coupon is good for up three two-packs per prescription. Visit https://www.auvi-q.com/sign-up for details and offer registration/download. Expires 12/31/2015.
  • Generic Epinephrine Auto-Injector â€“ Lineage Therapeutics Inc.’s “$0 Co-Pay Savings Card†can reduce the amount of your out-of-pocket expense up to $100 per generic epinephrine auto-injector two-pack. Each savings card can be used for up to three two-packs per prescription. Visithttps://webrebate.trialcard.co...n/EpinephrinePortal/ for details and savings card download. Note: Although this savings card does not expire, you must print out a new savings card for each prescription. Every time you access the webpage the code on the savings card automatically changes. Each unique savings card is valid for just one use.

Use Mail Order â€“ If you have prescription benefits, look into your plan’s mail order pharmacy options. This may give you a lower price or provide more sets of medication for the same price. Many mail order prescription plans provide patients with a three month’s supply of medication for the cost of two month’s copay.

 

Talk to Your Doctor â€“ If you have insurance, talk to your doctor. Sometimes they can write the prescription that so that you can get more sets of medication for one co-pay. Typically a twin pack of injectors is considered a 30-day supply under your prescription plan. A physician might ask for six injectors (three twin packs) to be filled at once. This could then be filled through the mail order pharmacy, as described above.

 

Shop Around â€“ Call around to different pharmacies. Prices can vary, especially between large chain pharmacies and smaller independent pharmacies. Be aware that the pharmacies at club stores such as Costco and Sam’s are generally available to non-members, too.

 

Switch to the “Preferred†Brand â€“ If you have prescription drug coverage, call your pharmacy benefits manager. Ask which brand of epinephrine auto-injector your plan “prefers.†This one may be cheaper for you than the other brands.

Check with the Local Children’s Hospital â€“ This option may work if your child sees doctors at a major children’s hospital. Ask if they have any grants or patient assistance programs that can help pay for your child’s prescription

 

Apply for Help â€“ Both Mylan Specialty (maker of EpiPen) and Sanofi (maker of Auvi-Q) offer patient assistance programs. If your family’s income is below a certain level and you have no prescription coverage, you can apply for free or reduced cost epinephrine auto-injectors.

Talk to Your Employer â€“ If you have medical insurance through an employer, contact their human resources department. Explain that your insurance is not covering a life-saving medication for you or your child. Sometimes, if you have a generous employer, they will try to help you.

 

Change Insurance Plans â€“ During your next open enrollment period, look into a different plan. If your family’s income is below a certain level, you might be offered Medicaid. This depends on your state. Visit www.healthcare.gov, or your state’s health insurance site for details.

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When given a set that expired in 6 months, my college kid told them that wasn't acceptable. They ordered a new set and she picked it up the next week (after checking the expiration dates.) The prescription was in the $400 range.

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I think something needs to change with so many people having high deductible plans.  Ds's twin pack cost almost $800 for one (and he needed 2 since he does a homeschool hybrid program and needs one to remain on site there).  If we didn't have insurance, it would have been almost nothing through the various programs available.  Because we have insurance, we didn't qualify for those programs.  Yet because we have a high deductible plan, we paid 100% of the cost.  Some families have multiple children who need epi-pens, and it worries me that some won't update their Rx because they just can't do it financially.  I suspect we'll see a price structure change soon.

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Our twin pack was $600. Insurance paid nothing because we haven't reached our deductible. The manufacturer had a coupon thing but it only took $100 off. That is not much at all! I was shocked and horrified at the price.

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When we lived in India, we couldn't get ANY auto-injectors. Our Indian pediatrician wrote a prescription for a vial of epinephrine and a syringe and said that she would teach me how to inject someone. If you really just need it for backup, I wonder if a dr would be willing to prescribe something like that. It's no different than how they give epinephrine in a doctor's office or hospital. Get a set of epipens for out of the house/school, expired ones as backups and then vials as ultimate backups. 

 

I keep expired epipens for about a year after the date as our backups. We keep them in a dark hall closet so it should keep them in good condition.

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I think something needs to change with so many people having high deductible plans.  Ds's twin pack cost almost $800 for one (and he needed 2 since he does a homeschool hybrid program and needs one to remain on site there).  If we didn't have insurance, it would have been almost nothing through the various programs available.  Because we have insurance, we didn't qualify for those programs.  Yet because we have a high deductible plan, we paid 100% of the cost.  Some families have multiple children who need epi-pens, and it worries me that some won't update their Rx because they just can't do it financially.  I suspect we'll see a price structure change soon.

 

Agree with this. I think this is a medication that should be always reduced cost no matter what due to its life-saving nature. If I can get flu shots for free with my insurance, why can't I get an Epi-Pen for free? We have a high-deductible plan like many of you and the cost kills me every year. It's crazy to me. 

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I think I would be learning how to draw some up in my own syringe.

I know how and they still won't prescribe it that way, because the wrong dose is lethal and administered in an incorrect location it can cause serious tissue damage. I begged them to let me do that because we couldn't afford it but it's not an option. They I'll often prescribe terbutaline for a first attempt to head off a reaction when Benadryl hasn't done it and sometimes that works, but that's about the only other option,

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My son says this is right. He keeps his old expired ones for use in an emergency, as long as the window is clear.

 

We haven't found them cheaper than $400+ for a two-pack, with our high-deductible insurance.

 

I have wondered about that but I'm still not sure I'd be comfortable using it.  An epi-pen is always an emergency, right?   I will often take and give expired meds, but I am not so sure about life-saving ones.   So, we throw ours away according to date.  And yeah, it kills me when we haven't hit our deductible yet and have to replace it.  But, it gets us that much closer to it.  We've already hit ours this year, thanks to allergy tests, extracts and injections for two kids (among all our other things).

 

(I'm not disagreeing with you, btw.) 

 

My daughter really wants the Auvi-Q 'cause it's smaller; she prefers to carry a small purse.  When her current pens expire we'll check it out.

 

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It also pays to call around - not all Walgreens charge the same price.  It is that way with any of the pharmacies.  My grandmas meds were over $500 at on Walgreens.  I drove not half a mile further down the road and the cost dropped by almost half.  I no always call several pharmacies to get "quotes" on my meds. 

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Oh my heck people...do you actually pay for these yourselves? How do you afford it?

 

In Australia an Epi Pen costs $6. That is what my brother pays for my neices.

 

My albutoral inhaler costs me $8 ..for a twin pack...so $4 each.

 

I would be spewing if I had to pay so much each month for insurance and then pay such high costs for medication.

 

Flip...why aren't more of you running over the border to buy your meds?

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http://inthesetimes.com/article/16951/anaphylactic_sticker_shock

 

"Anaphylactic Sticker Shock

Road trip! Or, two middle-aged women go on a Hunter S. Thompson-esque drug-buying spree across an international border. And score.

BY TERRY J. ALLEN"

 

This article is horrifying. I had assumed there was a reason for the Epi-pen's outrageous price. That it is pure and simple greed is infuriating. 

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