While a two-pack of EpiPens has a list price of $608, one industry expert estimates that Amsterdam-based Mylan spends no more than $20 to produce the product, according to NBC News.
Kevin Deane, head of medical technologies at London-based PA Consulting Group, said the base components of an EpiPen — the tube, needle and plastic cap — probably cost around $2 to $4 to buy. Pharmacists told NBC the epinephrine inside EpiPens probably costs less than $1, according to the report.
Mylan also has to pay licensing fees to Columbia, Md.-based Meridian Medical Technologies, a subsidiary of Pfizer that manufactures the EpiPens. Mr. Deane estimates these fees might multiply the price Mylan pays for the medication by two to five times.
When NBC News reached out to Mylan for comment, spokesperson Julie Knell said, "We do not comment on the terms of third-party contracts."
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