Last week delivered significant announcements that will shake up the market for epinephrine auto-injector pens. CVS began promoting a lower-cost EpiPen alternative. Small pharma company Kaléo relaunched the AUVI-Q. Meanwhile, Mylan’s new generic EpiPen continued to gain traction.
It’s a good time to revisit the EpiPen situation and see what it tells us about U.S. pharmaceutical industry pricing. After last week’s announcements, there are now four key products, each with its own list price and rebate arrangements:
- An EpiPen with a $608 list price and rebates to pharmacy benefit manages (PBMs)
- An EpiPen with a $300 list price, but no rebates
- Adrenaclick, an alternative product with a $110 cash price at CVS pharmacies
- Auvi-Q, another alternative, with a $4,500 (!) list price
As I explain below, these variations wonderfully illustrate the warped incentives embedded in our crazy drug channel. Will we make progress in popping the gross-to-net bubble?
Read more »
Source: Post feed
