CVS Pharmacy is currently selling a generic epinephrine autoinjector for a price of $109.99 per two-pack, which is about one-sixth the cost of Mylan’s EpiPen two-pack.
The product, an authorized generic for Adrenaclick,is manufactured by Lineage Therapeutics, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fort Washington, Pa.–based Impax Laboratories. CVS Pharmacy characterized the product as having “the lowest cash price in the market” and said in a Jan. 12 statement that the move was undertaken to address the “urgent need for a less-expensive epinephrine autoinjector.”
Data from a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found that the average total Part D Medicare spending per EpiPen prescription increased nearly fivefold, from an average of $71 in 2007 to $344 in 2014. This trend continued, and in September 2016, Mylan’s CEO Heather Bresch faced questioning on Capitol Hill about the price hikes from members of the House Oversight Committee.
“We’re encouraged to see national efforts to make epinephrine autoinjectors more affordable and more available to Americans across the country,” Cary Sennett, MD, PhD , president and CEO of the Landover, Md.–based Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, said in the CVS statement . “Partnerships that increase access to vital medications are key in helping those suffering from life-threatening allergies.”
