Kaléo, maker of EpiPen rival Auvi-Q, teams up on peanut-free baseball games

Not every baseball fan wants someone to buy them peanuts and Cracker Jack—especially those fans with severe allergies. But Kaléo has a solution.

The company, which makes epinephrine autoinjector Auvi-Q, has teamed up with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) to help teams across the country host peanut-free game days this season and next.

To make sure these games are safe for peanut allergy sufferers, the special events will feature no in-park sales of peanuts or products containing peanut ingredients. They’ll also include informational displays and messaging inside the host parks, Kaléo said.

The first pair of peanut-free games took place Aug. 6 at Smith's Ballpark, home of the Salt Lake Bees and at First Data Field, home of the St. Lucie Mets.

The Mets have partnered with MiLB and Auvi-Q to make today a peanut free environment at @FirstData Field. #STLMets pic.twitter.com/6H2p47GOX9

— St. Lucie Mets (@stluciemets) August 6, 2017

It’s been a long, tough road for Auvi-Q, which launched to great fanfare as the first real challenger to blockbuster EpiPen in decades. After inking a marketing pact with Sanofi, though, things quickly went downhill for Kaléo: The partners ran into manufacturing trouble, forcing them to pull the drug from the market altogether.

Then, last year, Sanofi walked on the deal, returning all commercial and manufacturing rights to the drug in the U.S. and Canada. And while Mylan’s well-documented EpiPen scandal set the stage for a relaunch, payers balked at the price of Kaléo’s $4,500 two-pack—a far cry from Mylan’s $600-for-two price tag—and PBMs and insurers such as Cigna and Humana turned their backs.

Now, the company is hoping its MiLB awareness push can help it turn the tide. "We’re proud to support MiLB to help provide a safer environment for those who suffer from severe peanut allergies to enjoy one of our nation’s favorite pastimes," Auvi-Q co-inventor Eric Edwards said in a statement. "Auvi-Q is committed to providing information and resources to help educate the public about life-threatening allergies and encourage a community of inclusion and acceptance."