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Opinion: Does a generic EpiPen mean lower prices? Don’t hold your breath

To bring down the cost of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr., more competitors are needed.
Source: Alex Wong/Getty Images

You could almost hear the sigh of relief from patients when the FDA earlier this month approved Teva Pharmaceutical’s application to market the first generic versions of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. in the U.S.

That decision came at the end of a wild few years for EpiPen, the brand name of the epinephrine auto-injector used for the emergency treatment of life-threatening allergic reactions, and its maker, Mylan. The company acquired the drug in 2007, began quietly increasing its price. By 2015, Mylan had increased the average wholesale price of EpiPen .

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