EpiPen’s vicelike grip on the allergy shot market is about to be significantly loosened.
A competitor, the Auvi-Q from drugmaker Kaleon Inc., is set to re-enter the fray after being recalled last year, giving consumers a choice between products once again.
It’s expected to hit shelves in the first half of 2017.
Mylan’s EpiPen hit the headlines in August this year after consumers realized en masse that the potentially life-saving product had increased in price from around $50 in 2007 to $300 in 2016.
The pen, which is essentially an epinephrine autoinjector that delivers a precise dose to people with serious allergies, creeped up in price over the years. Its dominance of the market along with an effective marketing campaign allowed Mylan to up the cost continually, until a change in insurance policies shifted more of the financial brunt onto consumers.
After a hefty wave of people power on social media and celebrity admonishments the company caved in and said it would slash the price in half.
Kaleo announced the return of Auvi-Q Wednesday.
Were working to get AUVI-Q back to you in 2017 – stay tuned! #AUVIQForYou
Click for prescribing information: https://t.co/vJ7C0TnRXF pic.twitter.com/Q1C8GqBXW8
AUVI-Q (@AUVIQ) October 26, 2016
The company’s CEO Spencer Williamson told Bloomberg it hadn’t decided on a price yet.
Were working with multiple stakeholders including wholesalers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, etc., to establish a comprehensive access program, he said. Were focused on minimizing the out-of-pocket costs for the patient.
Auvi-Q was launched in the U.S. in 2013, but suspected inaccuracies in dosage saw it pulled from shelves in October 2015. During that time it was marketed by pharma firm Sanofi, but it’s since passed back to Kaleo.
The Auvi-Q only took a 10 percent share of the market when it was available, Bloomberg calculates, but that might well increase this time round.
