Row over Mylan EpiPen boils down to plastic cap

Washington

THE lack of a cheaper version of Mylan NV's EpiPen shot may come down to a dispute between drugmakers over a plastic cap.

Unlike Mylan's one-cap EpiPen, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' proposed substitutable generic version has two caps, including a removable one that covers the spot where its needle extends. In a petition to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Mylan cited that difference as the key reason the agency should reject Teva's generic - which is exactly what happened in February of this year.

Nina Devlin, a Mylan spokeswoman, said the company asked the FDA to approve the competing devices only if they were truly equivalent, and wouldn't pose a risk of confus…