Kaléo reveals the price of its Epipen alternative: $4,500

Enlarge (credit: Kaléo)

As public outcry over the skyrocketing price of Mylan’s Epipens hit fever pitch last fall, Ars noted that there was an upcoming competitor: Auvi-Q by Kaléo. But we were pretty confident back then that Kaléo was not going to offer an affordable epinephrine auto-injector alternative, given that the company has a well-documented history of price gouging on life-saving medications, too. Nevertheless, Auvi-Q’s price may still send some jaws toward the floor. In an announcement Thursday, the company revealed that Auvi-Q will have a $4,500 list price for a two-pack and will be available February 14 for anyone who wants to buy one.

Auvi-Qs were initially introduced in 2013 but were pulled from the market following dosage issues. The devices are slim and rectangular, easy to slip into pockets, and provide a voice-prompt system to guide through a life-saving epinephrine injection. At the time of their initial release, Auvi-Qs were listed at around $200 for a two-pack. By early 2015, when they were pulled, that price had floated up to $500, largely in step with Mylan’s pricing.

The company also makes a device for injecting a cheap, older drug called naloxone, which reverses deadly opioid overdoses. As the country has suffered from an epidemic of opioid abuse and overdoses during the last two years, Kaléo raised the price of its device, called Evzio, from $575 to $3,750.