
In the latest flap over EpiPen, Sanofi filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that Mylan violated antitrust law by taking several steps to thwart its rival from gaining any traction in the marketplace.
Sanofi used to sell Auvi-Q, a different type of auto-injector that provides voice instructions and resembles a deck of cards. Both EpiPen and Auvi-Q provide life-saving doses of epinephrine to individuals suffering from severe allergic reactions. However, Sanofi voluntarily withdrew its device in October 2015 over problems with dosing and the device is now sold by another company called Kaleo.
In its lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in New Jersey, Sanofi alleged Mylan “ran up the price” of EpiPen well before the Auvi-Q launch in January 2013. In November 2012, the list price was $219 for a package of injectors, and that rose to $461 in October 2015, according to Medi-Span and Wells Fargo data cited in the lawsuit.