|
 Novartis' Sandoz unit launched the Symjepi epinephrine shots for use
in hospitals in January and had said it would make the treatment
available in pharmacies in a phased manner.
The Swiss drugmaker has an exclusive agreement with Adamis
Pharmaceuticals Corp <ADMP.O> to distribute and commercialize
Symjepi in the United States.
Novartis said both the adult and pediatric doses of Symjepi would be
immediately available in local U.S. pharmacies.
The wholesale price for a two-pack of adult-dose syringes is $250,
Novartis said, below the $300 charged by Mylan for its authorized
generic and for Teva's <TEVA.TA> generic version of the EpiPen
auto-injector.
Mylan still dominates the market for emergency allergy shots with
its EpiPen that delivers a dose of epinephrine in the event of
severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions to a number
of triggers, such as bee stings or peanuts.
But there has been a shortage of EpiPens in the United States,
Europe and Canada due to manufacturing delays. The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration added the treatment to its list of drugs in
shortage more than a year ago, and it remains on that list.
[to top of second column] |
Pfizer Inc's <PFE.N> Meridian Medical unit, which produces all
EpiPens sold globally at a single plant near St. Louis, has been hit
by a series of manufacturing problems. The company said in a
statement on Tuesday that it anticipates further supply shortages
over the coming months.
There is traditionally high demand for the devices in the summer as
families look to renew prescriptions ahead of sending children to
summer camp or the new school year.
Teva has built significant market share with its generic this year,
reaching 18% of the market in late June, according to a research
note from Leerink that cited IQVIA <IQV.N> prescription volume data.
Teva said in May it expected to reach around 20% market share by the
end of the second quarter and could approach 50% market share by the
end of the year.
(Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu and Tamara Mathias in Bengaluru
and Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Maju Samuel and Bill
Berkrot)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
