CVS selling generic substitute for EpiPen for 83% less than brand name auto-injector

CVS PHARMACY is now selling a generic version of the life-saving EpiPen for more than 83 percent less than the full retail price of the brand-name product.
CVS PHARMACY is now selling a generic version of the life-saving EpiPen for more than 83 percent less than the full retail price of the brand-name product.

WOONSOCKET – CVS Health Corp. announced Thursday that it would begin selling a generic substitute for the EpiPen at more than 83 percent less than the full retail price of the brand-name version of the product. In addition, the CVS Pharmacy-marketed generic will cost nearly 68 percent less than the original manufacturer’s generic version of the epinephrine auto-injector, which is used to combat life-threatening allergic reactions.
Mylan NV, the manufacturer of the EpiPen and a generic version of the product, has come under intense scrutiny following a series of price increases the company has made on the life-saving drug and injection mechanism since it took over the manufacturing process.
CVS partnered with Impax Laboratories to make the generic auto-injector two-pack that will retail for $109.99, compared with the EpiPen cash price of $649.99 and $339.99 for the Mylan-produced generic version (both the CVS and Mylan versions of Adrenaclick have coupons available which make the final customer cost less than the full retail price).
“We recognized that there was an urgent need in the marketplace for a less expensive auto-injector for patients with life-threatening allergies,” said CVS Pharmacy President Helena B. Foulkes in a statement.
“We’re encouraged to see national efforts to make epinephrine auto-injectors more affordable and more available to Americans across the country,” said Dr. Cary Sennett, president and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
According to CVS, the generic Adrenaclick is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved device with the same active ingredient as other epinephrine auto-injector devices. CVS Health stock opened the trading day at $82.92 per share, an increase of 15 cents from its Wednesday close on the New York Stock Exchange.

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