What would you do if a particular medication was essential to save your life during an emergency — but the price put it out of reach?
The web blew up in anger last week when EpiPen maker Mylan revealed it had sharply increased prices. An EpiPen two-pack, used as a critical stopgap when someone has anaphylaxis, now carries a list price north of $600.
Mylan has been scrambling since the backlash, first introducing a savings program to lower the out-of-pocket cost for filling a prescription, and later pledging to sell a generic version of the auto-injector.
But many allergy patients aren’t waiting for Mylan’s generic to arrive. If you carry an auto-injector in case of a severe allergic reaction, you may be desperately searching for ways — any ways — to afford your prescription.
Below are practical strategies to lower what you pay for an EpiPen — and the approaches you should avoid, despite appearing cheap.Ads1
Smart Strategies to Reduce EpiPen Costs
If you’re willing to invest some time and effort into looking around, you might score a significantly better price.
Compare Pharmacy Prices
Our editorial intern ran calls to local pharmacies to see how prices varied among nearby chains.
“I’m nervous to look,” admitted the person who answered at CVS Pharmacy. Still, they checked and quoted us $734.99 for an EpiPen two-pack. No cheaper options were available there.
Walmart quoted $683 for a two-pack, and noted they accept discount cards (more on those shortly). They didn’t offer a generic alternative either.
Publix quoted an eye-watering$761.95 for a two-pack, and suggested searching online for “My EpiPen Savings Card” to shave $300 off (see below). That pharmacy also listed the competing auto-injector Adrenaclick for $516, though using the EpiPen Savings Card would likely be the superior deal.
Talk to Your Prescribing Physician
Shopping around helps, but remember that your doctor can be a big ally. Ask them for suggestions and make sure they don’t check the box on the script that prevents substitution with generics.
Because physicians frequently interact with drug reps, they often have access to coupons, assistance programs, and even patient-support grants that can help cover the cost of an auto-injector.
Contact Your Insurer
Set aside a moment for this next step: call your health insurance company.
Your plan’s summary might not list an out-of-pocket figure for something as pricey as an EpiPen, but a customer-service rep can look up your precise coverage and expected cost.
I asked our organization’s insurer about filling an EpiPen prescription. Since the carrier classifies the medication as a tier-two drug, our cost would only be the $35 brand-name copay shown in the short benefits summary.
Reviewing the tiered drug explanations left us puzzled, since tier two is described as “mid-cost medications.” Let’s not remind them about that recent increase.
Checking with your insurance administrator is especially important if you have a state or federal benefit, such as Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE.
Enrollment in those programs often makes you ineligible for manufacturer coupons that could significantly reduce your bill. However, GoodRx notes that a typical Medicare copay for an EpiPen two-pack ranges from $15 to $270 if your deductible has been met.
Explore the Mylan Savings Card
If you’re seeking a Mylan EpiPen, try obtaining the My EpiPen Savings Card to lower your cost from roughly $600 to about $300 for a two-pack. If you meet the criteria — typically over 18 with commercial insurance — you can download the card immediately.
If you’re covered by a government program like Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE, you won’t qualify.
Think About Generic Alternatives
A generic version of the Adrenaclick auto-injector exists in child and adult doses. Its maker, Lineage Therapeutics, runs a discount program that advertises a $0 copay for certain eligible patients filling prescriptions at participating pharmacies.
If you have commercial insurance and aren’t on an employer-sponsored retiree plan, you may be eligible (see details).
The discount form states commercially insured people might obtain their auto-injector at no copay, while those paying cash could get up to $100 off each of up to three auto-injector packs. A mail-in rebate is also available when the pharmacy can’t apply the discount at purchase.
That same generic auto-injector appears at between $150 and $400 at various stores after coupons, according toGoodRx. Paying $150 for a generic prescription doesn’t feel great, but it’s far preferable to much higher costs.
Is It Possible to Buy EpiPens in Canada?
Many Reddit users are big proponents of traveling to Canada to buy EpiPens for a more reasonable price — Canadian pharmacies have sold them for as low as CA$109 (about US$83).
The catch? You can’t legally bring them back.
While the Drug Enforcement Administration permits U.S. residents to import prescriptions from Canada under some conditions, we couldn’t confirm whether EpiPens qualify. The Food and Drug Administration was explicit in email correspondence that this is likely a poor idea.
Importing unapproved prescription drugs for personal use is potentially hazardous. Neither the FDA nor the American public has assurance that unapproved foreign products are effective, safe, or manufactured under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). Unapproved drugs may be contaminated, under-strength, over-strength or counterfeit.
Although Americans can buy from Canadian online pharmacies with a valid prescription, both the FDA and Consumer Reports advise against this, since many of those sites don’t meet FDA safety standards. Your order might be inexpensive, but it might not be the right medication or dose — and you wouldn’t know until it’s too late.
“The public health risks of unapproved drugs from foreign sources outweigh any potential cost savings,” the FDA spokesperson wrote.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Improvise
Do not — and we mean this — DO NOT tumble down an internet rabbit hole and convince yourself you can fashion your own adrenaline injection method. It’s extremely dangerous.
“Anyone attempting this would need extensive medical training to do it correctly and safely, avoiding contamination or accidental intravenous injection,” Dr. James Baker of Food Allergy Research & Education told PBS NewsHour.
Auto-injectors are engineered so virtually anyone can use them on someone suffering an allergic reaction, but the life-saving adrenaline dose is carefully calibrated — and regulated. Trying to improvise could have disastrous consequences.
How to Secure the EpiPen You Need
So what should you do? Speak with the healthcare professional who prescribed your EpiPen.
They’re in the best position to answer your questions and identify discount programs that might be available. It may still be costly, but in situations like this, your well-being should outweigh cost-cutting.
Your Turn: How much did you pay to refill your EpiPen prescription?
Editorial intern Kelly Brown contributed reporting to this article.
