EpiPen in Short Supply as Kids Go Back to School – Here Are Your Options

Lucky, the FDA recently made two announcements that should help ease the shortage. Here’s what’s happening.

Which products are experiencing a shortage?

The following EpiPen products from Mylan Pharmaceuticals are currently experiencing a shortage:

• EpiPen package of two 0.3 mg/0.3 ml auto-injectors (NDC 49502-0500-02)
• EpiPen Jr package of two 0.15 mg/0.3 ml auto-injectors (NDC 49502-0501-02)
• Generic epinephrine package of two 0.15 mg/0.3 ml auto-injectors (NDC 49502-0101-02)
• Generic epinephrine package of two 0.3 mg/0.3 ml auto-injectors (NDC 49502-0102-02)

So what have the FDA and drug manufacturers done to help with this shortage?

The FDA extended the expiration date for some EpiPens

Typically, the FDA and drug manufacturers do not recommend that people use their medications past the expiration date. However, to combat the current shortage, the FDA has extended the expiration date of specific lots of EpiPen and Mylan’s generic epinephrine by four months.

Remember, only certain lots of EpiPen and epinephrine are to be used past their expiration date, so read here to see which lots apply.

A new generic was just approved

We know what you’re thinking—a generic epinephrine is already on the market! Correct. However, the current generic is an authorized generic from Mylan, which means that it is the exact same recipe as the original brand medication. While that sounds good, in this case, Mylan’s generic version of Epipen is the only generic on the market, and in most cases, lack of competition can lead to high prices.

Lucky, this all changed just weeks ago when the FDA approved Teva Pharmaceutical’s new EpiPen generic. Once it becomes available, this new generic could help curb the EpiPen shortage and high price tag.

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