By Henry Ehrlich
Food allergy families received an end-of-summer bouquet with an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration that it had approved a true generic version of EpiPen. With the clout of a giant like Teva, a generics specialist, behind it, coupled with the current shortages of EpiPen itself, maybe we at last have a competitor that can make a real dent in the near monopoly status that Mylan has long enjoyed, along with the power to raise the price with impunity.
It won’t be in your pharmacy tomorrow. This is not a “back-to-school” special, as FDA administrator Dr. Scott Gottlieb suggested in his announcement, but it’s a welcome development. Teva must to be able to make the things and then convince insurance companies and the rest of the middle-man network to make it available to patients. As reported in the New York Times, timing of the introduction hasn’t been set. ‘We’re applying our full resources to this important launch in the coming months and eager to begin supplying the market,’ said Doris Saltkill, a [Teva] spokeswoman, in an email.’”
Neither has the price. Will it be comparable to EpiPen’s own generic–$320 per two-pack—or its brand name version–$630 or even lower? Competition is supposed to do that. Our friends at Auvi-Q and Adrenaclick have never managed to do the trick. Let the games begin.