CVS Announces EpiPen Competitor at a 6th of the cost - Polidicks

[t]https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/GettyImages-597987772-800x534.jpg[/t] [quote]Pharmaceutical giant CVS announced Thursday that it has partnered with Impax Laboratories to sell a generic epinephrine auto-injector for $109.99 for a two-pack—a dramatic cut from Mylan’s Epipen two-pack prices, which list for more than $600 as a brand name and $300 as a generic. The lower-cost auto-injector, a generic form of Adrenaclick, is available starting today nationwide in the company’s more than 9,600 pharmacies. Its price resembles that of EpiPen’s before Mylan bought the rights to the life-saving devices back in 2007 and raised the price repeatedly, sparking outcry. The price of $109.99 for the alternative applies to those with and without insurance, CVS noted. And Impax is also offering a coupon to reduce the cost to just $9.99 for qualifying patients. Also in the press statement, Dr. Todd Listwa of Novant Health, a network of healthcare providers, noted the importance of access to epinephrine auto-injectors, which swiftly reverse rapid-onset, deadly allergic reactions in some. “For these patients, having access to emergency epinephrine is a necessity. Making an affordable epinephrine auto-injector device accessible to patients will ensure patients have the medicine they need, when they need it."[/quote] [url]http://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/cvs-just-announced-a-super-cheap-generic-alternative-to-epipen/[/url]

Awesome. No one should have to pay $600 for such an immensely helpful tool.

It's a good thing on the cost, but will it be about just as effective as the EpiPen or will it have 1/6 of the effectiveness of it?

The only problem is that EpiPens (specifically) are often their own prescription. People generally aren't prescribed straight epinepherine and this isn't *legally* an approved generic for it yet. but baby steps

[QUOTE=PsycheClops;51660805]It's a good thing on the cost, but will it be about just as effective as the EpiPen or will it have 1/6 of the effectiveness of it?[/QUOTE] Its the same product inside the injector so it'll be just as effective, its daft saying will it be just 1/6 effective when its essentially the same thing just in a generic [U]epinephrine[/U] auto-injector. They eject the exact same substance, epinephrine aka adrenaline.

And there's this DIY epipencil solution that's also cheaper since epinephrine is cheap as fuck. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoQajOum6wA[/media]

Free market capitalism at work

[QUOTE=Lambeth;51660935]Free market capitalism at work[/QUOTE] If only it were always like this.

snip

[QUOTE=PsycheClops;51660805]It's a good thing on the cost, but will it be about just as effective as the EpiPen or will it have 1/6 of the effectiveness of it?[/QUOTE] No because [quote]Its price resembles that of EpiPen’s before Mylan bought the rights to the life-saving devices back in 2007 and raised the price repeatedly, sparking outcry.[/quote] EpiPen's higher price is due to gouging, plain and simple. Truly free market at work.

pharmaceuticals aren't a free market, no capitalist bashing today sorry guys

CVS is really good with obtaining cheap generics with decent to good quality.

[QUOTE=Lambeth;51660935]Free market capitalism at work[/QUOTE] God bless the free market, and God bless the U.S. economy. Hail Friedman, praise Sowell, et al.

[QUOTE=Lambeth;51660935]Free market capitalism at work[/QUOTE] You're still going to reach a minimum cost eventually. In my opinion, even socialised healthcare systems should look for the best value-for-money solutions- just because something's government-ran doesn't mean it can't be efficient, and I think it's dangerous to make excuses just because the taxpayer's paying for it.

[QUOTE=PsycheClops;51660805]It's a good thing on the cost, but will it be about just as effective as the EpiPen or will it have 1/6 of the effectiveness of it?[/QUOTE] It's expensive as fuck for the same reason as everyones favourite troll is selling daraprim at 700bux/pill while everyone outside of USA can have it for $1/pill FDA is baffling to me

[QUOTE=gukki;51668684]It's expensive as fuck for the same reason as everyones favourite troll is selling daraprim at 700bux/pill while everyone outside of USA can have it for $1/pill FDA is baffling to me[/QUOTE] the FDA is purposfully not involved in drug pricing unlike litterally everywhere else in the world. they are just a gatekeeper and just make sure we don't put out drugs that do kill people, unfortunately it takes time to do that and the costs to bring a drug to market aren't nearly transparent enough to say whos at fault, after all when a drug does launch theres usually a massive hundreds of million marketing campaign to accompany it as well as a push to get that drug to cover everything which might greatly raise the costs to test but pays off by getting it to more people specialised drugs like the antimalarial pill aren't popular because it only treats one thing and can't be prescribed for much. [editline]14th January 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=Zang-Pog;51670090]I really hope more and more companies start producing these "generic" versions of already existing medicines for much cheaper. Fuck drug companies for rising the prices so high when a lot of people need their medicine to survive[/QUOTE] well again an issue is our insurance system, most insurances will force you onto generics if you can take the medicine (if you can't its a life long fucking headache...) but inncases like epipen most insurance companies and schools were taking exclusive deals for them and that combined with a manufacturer recall on the generic pushed compeditors out of the market

Well, that sorta makes me proud I use CVS as my pharmacy now.

[QUOTE=Jamsponge;51661796]You're still going to reach a minimum cost eventually. In my opinion, even socialised healthcare systems should look for the best value-for-money solutions- just because something's government-ran doesn't mean it can't be efficient, and I think it's dangerous to make excuses just because the taxpayer's paying for it.[/QUOTE] Hospitals are fucking horrible. They used to do shit like sneakily rename something as retarded as tissues on the bill and charge 500$ for a box

So how long until Mylan tries to sue them for some vague infringement?

[QUOTE=Anderan;51674789]So how long until Mylan tries to sue them for some vague infringement?[/QUOTE] Their lawyers are probably already working on it.

[QUOTE=Anderan;51674789]So how long until Mylan tries to sue them for some vague infringement?[/QUOTE] depends, from what i understand they don't own any rights to epinephrine as its a basic as shit drug from the beginning of medicine, and they do own some patents on the injector but since it was developed by the DoD they only own the patents on their specific injector so a similarly designed one can work around it really the only brand protection they have is through their FDA certification and distribution deals which seem quite shady under scrutiny