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Ongoing EpiPen shortage not cause for serious alarm
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The ongoing shortage of EpiPen supply — now entering its fifth month — has intersected with the high demand for auto-injectors when children return to school.
However, Michael S. Blaiss, MD, executive medical director of the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, says that with plenty of other auto-injector options for primary care physicians to prescribe to their patients, there is no reason for serious concern.
“Even though there is an EpiPen shortage, there is no shortage of epinephrine auto-injectors available. These auto-injectors have the same dose of life-saving medicine, epinephrine, as EpiPen. The use of the device will be different from EpiPen, but with minimal instruction, anyone should be able to inject it properly,” he said in an interview.
Tonya A. Winders, president and CEO of the Allergy & Asthma Network, previously told Healio Family Medicine that PCPs should speak with their patients about the various options available, “determine which one is preferred,” and ensure the patient is properly trained on the device.
One such alternative is AUVI-Q, which recently expanded its distribution strategy from exclusively mail order to partnering with Walgreens Pharmacy to offer its emergency epinephrine auto-injectors in stores.
Mark Herzog, vice president of corporate affairs at AUVI-Q’s manufacturer kaléo said in an interview that the $4,500 list price for the product should not discourage use of the product.
“Please note that no patient pays the list price for AUVI-Q. The list price is not a true gauge of the cost as it does not account for the numerous rebates, discounts, chargebacks and various price concessions that are routinely negotiated in the health care system. Patients with commercial insurance, even those with high-deductible plans, pay $0 out-of-pocket. Patients without insurance who have a household income of less than $100,000, pay $0 out-of-pocket. For those who pay cash, the price is $360,” Herzog told Healio Family Medicine.
A spokesperson for Pfizer, EpiPen’s manufacturer, described how the company is addressing the shortage.
“We continue to make the capital investments necessary to increase component supply in order to expand capacity at our manufacturing facility. We are also working with our third-party suppliers on enhancements to strengthen their processes to enhance manufacturing rates and are initiating a second packaging line to help build inventory during the peak seasons,” Steve Danehy, Pfizer’s director of global media relations, told Healio Family Medicine.
He also referenced Pfizer’s and Mylan’s efforts with the FDA to extend the expiration dates for both the branded and generic 0.3-mg version of the auto-injector, “so patients can have confidence in using this life-saving medicine during this tight supply situation.”
Pfizer said in a press release it expects EpiPen availability to be stabilized during the fourth quarter of this year. – by Janel Miller
Disclosure: Blaiss is executive medical director of the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, Danehy is Pfizer’s director of global media relations, Herzog is vice president of corporate affairs at kaléo and Winders is president and CEO of the Allergy & Asthma Network.