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The Lesson of EpiPens: Why Drug Prices Spike, Again and Again

Other companies tried to sell other injectors at a slightly lower price, but competing with Mylan was tough, since the EpiPen seemed synonymous with the drug. One injector, Adrenaclick, costs $450, and as low as about $140 with a coupon for a two-pen kit.

“Doctors say, ‘My patients know how to use the EpiPen.’ Parents say, ‘They’re my kids, I trust this brand,’ ” said Doug Hirsch, the chief executive of GoodRx, a website that helps consumers shop for cheaper drugs. “People don’t think there’s a choice.”