Pharmaceuticals
Due to the ongoing critical shortages of injectable drugs used in critical care, the FDA is alerting health care professionals and emergency responders of updated dates through which some of these injectable drugs, manufactured by Hospira Inc, a Pfizer company, may be used beyond the manufacturer’s labeled expiration date. A few days ago, the FDA announced extending expiration dates on Pfizer Atropine, D50 and epi. >> Click for related article.
Bound Tree Medical will be hosting a conference call on Friday, June 30 regarding the epi shortage. PAAW will pass along the call-in information once received.
FDA approves new, cheaper rival to EpiPen
U.S. regulators have approved new competition for EpiPen, the emergency allergy medicine that made Mylan a poster child for pharmaceutical company greed. Last summer, the company came under fire for repeatedly raising the price of EpiPens and CEO Heather Bresch was grilled by a Congressional panel.
Mylan hiked the price of a pair of EpiPens from $94 in 2007, when the company acquired the product, to $608 last year. The devices need to be replaced each year, adding to the financial sting. Analysts and others have estimated that it costs less than $20 to produce a pair of EpiPens.
The Food and Drug Administration on June 15 approved Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s product, which should go on sale later this year. The "Symjepi" is a syringe prefilled with the hormone epinephrine, which helps stop life-threatening allergic reactions from insect stings and bites, foods such as nuts and eggs, or certain medications. Adamis said it is still lining up a distributor so it hasn't set the exact price for its product, which will be sold in pairs like EpiPen. >> Click for related news item.
