Manufacturing issues stoke fears of EpiPen shortage in Britain

Manufacturing problems have created a shortage of Mylan’s EpiPens in Britain, forcing the company to ration the devices allergy patients rely on to treat anaphylactic shock.

The company announced it will ration the devices, which contain doses of adrenaline, the Daily Mail reported. A spokesperson for the company told the newspaper the shortage is the result of manufacturing delays at a subsidiary firm owned by Pfizer. Mylan has previously warned of global supply issues with the device.

The spokesperson, who was not named, told the the Daily Mail the company is currently unable to determine “when the supply constraint will be fully resolved.”

An unnamed Pfizer spokesperson said, “We understand how important this potentially life-saving product is to patients,” adding that it is “working tirelessly to increase production and expedite shipments as rapidly as possible.”

The shortage could affect tens of thousands of patients in the country.

EpiPen competitors Bausch+Lomb, maker of Emerade, along with Denmark’s ALKAbelló, maker of Jext, are rushing to make up the shortfall of the treatment, the newspaper said.

Last summer, Mylan came under intense criticism for its repeated price hikes on EpiPen, which had taken the lifesaving injector's list price up several hundred percent over previous years. As a result of the controversy, Mylan beefed up its patient access program and rolled out a cheaper authorized generic.