6 ms·

From reddit: Clarification here, CVS cut the retail price of the existing generic for Adrenaclick (known as Epinephrine). This generic has been around for a w

by 7Z7 10y ago

From reddit: Clarification here, CVS cut the retail price of the existing generic for Adrenaclick (known as Epinephrine). This generic has been around for a while, but isn't an A/B rated generic so it's illegal for a pharmacy to dispense this if a prescription is written for EpiPen. We can dispense this if a prescription is written for Adrenaclick or Epinephrine. Make sure your doctor writes a script for Adrenaclick or it is illegal for us to dispense this cheaper generic to you Edit: The injection device of each product is what limits the A/B rating. Adrenaclick and EpiPen have different autoinjector systems. Yes the regulations are that strict. Here's[0] a video showing the difference between Adrenaclick, Epipen, and AuviQ (which has been recalled and discontinued). [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRgqwgCh4Fs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRgqwgCh4Fs https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/5njj2x/comment/dcbyjud?st=IXULGMDV&sh=b0daac4d https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/5njj2x/comment/dcbyju...

gravypod 10y ago
That was a very interesting video. Why was the AuviQ withdrawn?
- 7Z7 10y ago
  Bridgewater, NJ - Sanofi US is voluntarily recalling all Auvi-Q® (epinephrine injection, USP). The recall involves all Auvi-Q currently on the market and includes both the 0.15 mg and 0.3 mg strengths for hospitals, retailers and consumers. This includes lot numbers 2081278 through 3037230, which expire October 2015 through December 2016.The products have been found to potentially have inaccurate dosage delivery, which may include failure to deliver drug. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm469980.htm http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm469980.htm
  - gravypod 10y ago
    > which may include failure to deliver drug The way this sounds it's not mechanical but a software bug. How interesting. I'd love it if someone did some RE on these and found their failure mode.
    - untog 10y ago
      > The way this sounds it's not mechanical but a software bug. To me that sounds very much like a mechanical bug - the delivery mechanism failed. How much software do these things have in them, anyway?
      - AtheistOfFail 10y ago
        > How much software do these things have in them, anyway? Any answer other than "fucking zero" would be terrifying. I'm not risking my life on some guy properly writing a software module (says the guy driving a car to work this morning)
      - gravypod 10y ago
        Watch the video and you'll see. The thing has a lot of scripted audio files and seems like it has a beefy battery.
- ci5er 10y ago
  Quality Control issues. There's an interesting post about the whole Epipen fiasco here: - http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/08/29/reverse-voxsplaining-drugs-vs-chairs/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/08/29/reverse-voxsplaining-dr... The author's first comment (the first response to the first comment) is (to me) also interesting...
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    That's kind of a fun juxtaposition there. A product withdrawn because it didn't work and a rant about complex regulation of products that consumers expect to be 100% reliable.
    - Symmetry 10y ago
      And the FDA was right to withdraw it. But the only reason it was around in the first place was that it was a sophisticated but also relatively complicated improvement on the EpiPen. It's Europe's 8 different brands that are basically just as simple as an EpiPen that the author really wants in the US.
tn13 10y ago
Huh! So we had an affordable solution all around but it was illegal ?
- maxerickson 10y ago
  No, it was not illegal. Marketing and consumer behavior contributed to people not seeking out the cheaper option.
  - tn13 10y ago
    So it was not EpiPen that was fleecing people but people enamoured by marketing strategies wanted to pay 10x more ?
    - maxerickson 10y ago
      4x. By volume, it was mostly insurance or non person entities (school systems and the like, by gov mandate) that paid for it. Of course when insurance pays everyone pays through their premiums, but that's where the consumer behavior comes in, who cares what it costs if it is covered.
  - adventured 10y ago
    It was illegal. By law CVS could not prescribe the generic Adrenaclick in place of the EpiPen, if the prescription was for an EpiPen. Classic case of the government causing abusive artificially high prices for consumers through bad regulation.
    - maxerickson 10y ago
      I read the other comment as thinking that generic Adrenaclick (the low cost alternative) was illegal. It wasn't. A prescription written for Epipen still can't be filled with generic Adrenaclick, so "was illegal" isn't a great description of that situation. It's hardly complicated to ask a doctor to write a different prescription, so that's why I talked about consumer behavior and marketing. Given that the different mechanisms require different training, I am somewhat forgiving of the "as written" requirement for auto-injectors.

by 7Z7 10y ago

gravypod 10y ago

That was a very interesting video. Why was the AuviQ withdrawn?

7Z7 10y ago
Bridgewater, NJ - Sanofi US is voluntarily recalling all Auvi-Q® (epinephrine injection, USP). The recall involves all Auvi-Q currently on the market and includes both the 0.15 mg and 0.3 mg strengths for hospitals, retailers and consumers. This includes lot numbers 2081278 through 3037230, which expire October 2015 through December 2016.The products have been found to potentially have inaccurate dosage delivery, which may include failure to deliver drug. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm469980.htm http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm469980.htm
- gravypod 10y ago
  > which may include failure to deliver drug The way this sounds it's not mechanical but a software bug. How interesting. I'd love it if someone did some RE on these and found their failure mode.
  - untog 10y ago
    > The way this sounds it's not mechanical but a software bug. To me that sounds very much like a mechanical bug - the delivery mechanism failed. How much software do these things have in them, anyway?
    - AtheistOfFail 10y ago
      > How much software do these things have in them, anyway? Any answer other than "fucking zero" would be terrifying. I'm not risking my life on some guy properly writing a software module (says the guy driving a car to work this morning)
    - gravypod 10y ago
      Watch the video and you'll see. The thing has a lot of scripted audio files and seems like it has a beefy battery.
ci5er 10y ago
Quality Control issues. There's an interesting post about the whole Epipen fiasco here: - http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/08/29/reverse-voxsplaining-drugs-vs-chairs/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/08/29/reverse-voxsplaining-dr... The author's first comment (the first response to the first comment) is (to me) also interesting...
- maxerickson 10y ago
  That's kind of a fun juxtaposition there. A product withdrawn because it didn't work and a rant about complex regulation of products that consumers expect to be 100% reliable.
  - Symmetry 10y ago
    And the FDA was right to withdraw it. But the only reason it was around in the first place was that it was a sophisticated but also relatively complicated improvement on the EpiPen. It's Europe's 8 different brands that are basically just as simple as an EpiPen that the author really wants in the US.

tn13 10y ago

Huh! So we had an affordable solution all around but it was illegal ?

maxerickson 10y ago
No, it was not illegal. Marketing and consumer behavior contributed to people not seeking out the cheaper option.
- tn13 10y ago
  So it was not EpiPen that was fleecing people but people enamoured by marketing strategies wanted to pay 10x more ?
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    4x. By volume, it was mostly insurance or non person entities (school systems and the like, by gov mandate) that paid for it. Of course when insurance pays everyone pays through their premiums, but that's where the consumer behavior comes in, who cares what it costs if it is covered.
- adventured 10y ago
  It was illegal. By law CVS could not prescribe the generic Adrenaclick in place of the EpiPen, if the prescription was for an EpiPen. Classic case of the government causing abusive artificially high prices for consumers through bad regulation.
  - maxerickson 10y ago
    I read the other comment as thinking that generic Adrenaclick (the low cost alternative) was illegal. It wasn't. A prescription written for Epipen still can't be filled with generic Adrenaclick, so "was illegal" isn't a great description of that situation. It's hardly complicated to ask a doctor to write a different prescription, so that's why I talked about consumer behavior and marketing. Given that the different mechanisms require different training, I am somewhat forgiving of the "as written" requirement for auto-injectors.