Officials in Canada has reached out to the U.S. FDA to help the country handle an ongoing shortage for life-saving EpiPens.
So far, the shortage has not affected the U.S. But officials in the UK and Canada have received notices from Pfizer, who manufactures the epinephrine autoinjectors at a facility in Missouri, that EpiPens are going to be in short supply because of “manufacturing problems.” The company said it plans to continue shipping the devices in the U.S. without any disruptions.
For patients in Canada with severe allergies, there are currently no alternatives to EpiPens on the market. Officials have advised patients to hang on to expired EpiPens as a precaution.
The president of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology told Reuters that he was “perplexed” that the shortage has not affected the U.S.
However, in America, the generic pens are sold for $300 for two. In Canada, one EpiPen costs $100 and in the UK, national pricing policies for a single dose have brought the cost down to $38.
Read the Reuters report.