Mylan is launching its generic for EpiPen adrenaline injection at a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of $300 per epinephrine injection.
As Mylan has noted, since its generic is USP two-pack, it is more than 50% lower than the WAC of EpiPen 2-Pak Auto-Injectors. The authorized generic, which Mylan says will reach pharmacies starting next week, has the same drug formulation and device functionality as Pfizer’s EpiPen Auto-Injector, a product that has been on the market for nearly 30 years, and is administered in the same way.
Patients and healthcare professionals can learn more at MyGenericEAI.com.
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said that Americans are rightfully concerned about rising drug prices, noting rising number of patients struggling to pay for medications.
“While it is important to understand the outdated and complex system that determines what someone pays for medicine in the U.S., hardworking families don’t need an explanation, they need a solution. This is why we took decisive action with our EpiPen product and have launched the first generic version at half the WAC price. This unprecedented action, along with the enhancements we made to our patient access programs, will help patients and provide substantial savings to payors,” Bresch said.
Pharmaceutical pricing far removed from patients
Bresch said that pharmaceutical pricing is too far removed from the patient at the pharmacy counter and not designed for today’s increasingly consumerized healthcare system. “That is why it is critical that all industry participants and government leaders come together to seize the opportunity to make fundamental changes to the system to ensure access to medicine,” she said.
“Making quality medicines and making them accessible to patients has been our mission since Mylan began in West Virginia more than 55 years ago. As one of the world’s largest generics companies, our medicines filled one out of 13 of all prescriptions in the U.S. last year – the equivalent of 21 billion doses – which is more than Pfizer, Merck, AstraZeneca, J&J, Sanofi and GSK combined. “