The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics
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In Brief: Epinephrine Auto-Injectors for Anaphylaxis (online only)
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Med Lett Drugs Ther. 2016 Sep 12;58(1503):e120
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 Select a term to see related articles  Adrenaclick   Allergy   Allerject   Anaphylaxis   Auvi-Q   epinephrine   EpiPen   Generics 

News about recent price increases for EpiPen and EpiPen Jr (Mylan) may have patients asking about other options for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis. Adrenaclick and its generic equivalent (epinephrine injection auto-injector) are the only other epinephrine auto-injectors currently available in the US. According to Impax (the manufacturer of both the brand and generic products), Adrenaclick is no longer being manufactured; the generic product will continue to be marketed after supplies of Adrenaclick are depleted. Auvi-Q (Sanofi), an epinephrine auto-injector that was approved by the FDA in 2013, was removed from the market in 2015 due to inconsistencies in delivery of epinephrine doses, including failure to deliver the drug.1

Adrenaclick and its generic equivalent are similar to EpiPen and EpiPen Jr in size and functionality, but they are not considered interchangeable with the EpiPen products due to differences in device design and instructions for use. One pack (two auto-injectors) of EpiPen or EpiPen Jr costs $608.60. One pack of Impax's generic auto-injectors costs $395.20.2

According to Mylan, generic versions of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr will soon become available at about half the cost of the brand-name products.

  1. FDA. Updated: Sanofi US issues voluntary nationwide recall of all Auvi-Q due to potential inaccurate dosage delivery. Available at www.fda.gov. Accessed September 1, 2016.
  2. Approximate WAC. WAC = wholesaler acquisition cost or manufacturer's published price to wholesalers; WAC represents a published catalogue or list price and may not represent an actual transactional price. Source: AnalySource® Monthly. August 5, 2016. Reprinted with permission by First Databank, Inc. All rights reserved. ©2016. www.fdbhealth.com/policies/drug-pricing-policy.
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