Alternative to EpiPen hits the market

People with life- threatening allergies just got a shot of good news.

Sandoz Inc. announced Tuesday the retail launch of its emergency epinephrine injector Symjepi, adding to a growing list of alternatives to the popular EpiPen.

The single- dose Symjepi syringe — used to counteract severe food and bee sting allergies — is being delivered in adult and pediatric doses to pharmacies across the nation, Sandoz said. The company launched the injector in the hospital setting earlier this year.

Other epinephrine injectors that have come on the market recently to compete with EpiPen include Kaleo’s Auvi- Q, Impax Laboratories’ Adrenaclick and an auto- injector made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries as the first direct generic competitor to the EpiPen.

The launch of Symjepi is welcome news to patients frustrated by a roughly yearlong supply shortage of the EpiPen, sold and distributed by Mylan.

The shortage is being tied to manufacturing issues at Pfizer, which makes the devices for Mylan.

Mylan “continues to encourage patients who are experiencing difficulty accessing product to call its customer relations team at 1- 800796- 9526 for assistance in locating alternative pharmacies,” a spokeswoman said in an email Tuesday.

To help ease the shortage, Mylan has coordinated with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration to extend the expiration dates on some batches.

In June, expiration dates for all EpiPens on the market were extended by four months, including an identical half- price authorized generic version of the EpiPen sold by Mylan. The affected lots have expiration dates between February 2019 and October 2020. That extension doesn’t apply to EpiPen Jr or its authorized generic.

“Despite our significant efforts, we do anticipate further supply shortages over the coming months,” a Pfizer spokeswoman said in an email Tuesday. “We are committed to permanently resolving this availability issue as quickly as possible.”