diff --git a/pip/req.py b/pip/req.py
index 4242f0c2a..1fd0f07f0 100644
--- a/pip/req.py
+++ b/pip/req.py
@@ -407,14 +407,24 @@ execfile(__file__)
 
         pip_egg_info_path = os.path.join(dist.location,
                                          dist.egg_name()) + '.egg-info'
+        # workaround for http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=618367
+        debian_egg_info_path = pip_egg_info_path.replace(
+            '-py%s' % pkg_resources.PY_MAJOR, '')
         easy_install_egg = dist.egg_name() + '.egg'
         develop_egg_link = egg_link_path(dist)
-        if os.path.exists(pip_egg_info_path):
+
+        pip_egg_info_exists = os.path.exists(pip_egg_info_path)
+        debian_egg_info_exists = os.path.exists(debian_egg_info_path)
+        if pip_egg_info_exists or debian_egg_info_exists:
             # package installed by pip
-            paths_to_remove.add(pip_egg_info_path)
+            if pip_egg_info_exists:
+                egg_info_path = pip_egg_info_path
+            else:
+                egg_info_path = debian_egg_info_path
+            paths_to_remove.add(egg_info_path)
             if dist.has_metadata('installed-files.txt'):
                 for installed_file in dist.get_metadata('installed-files.txt').splitlines():
-                    path = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(pip_egg_info_path, installed_file))
+                    path = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(egg_info_path, installed_file))
                     paths_to_remove.add(path)
             if dist.has_metadata('top_level.txt'):
                 if dist.has_metadata('namespace_packages.txt'):
diff --git a/tests/test_compat.py b/tests/test_compat.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d6062efa4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_compat.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+"""
+Tests for compatibility workarounds.
+
+"""
+import os
+from test_pip import reset_env, run_pip, pyversion, assert_all_changes
+
+
+def test_debian_egg_name_workaround():
+    """
+    We can uninstall packages installed with the pyversion removed from the
+    egg-info metadata directory name.
+
+    Refs:
+    http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=618367
+    https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/distribute/+bug/725178
+    https://bitbucket.org/ianb/pip/issue/104/pip-uninstall-on-ubuntu-linux
+
+    """
+    env = reset_env()
+    result = run_pip('install', 'INITools==0.2', expect_error=True)
+
+    egg_info = os.path.join(
+        env.site_packages, "INITools-0.2-py%s.egg-info" % pyversion)
+
+    # Debian only removes pyversion for global installs, not inside a venv
+    # so even if this test runs on a Debian/Ubuntu system with broken setuptools,
+    # since our test runs inside a venv we'll still have the normal .egg-info
+    assert egg_info in result.files_created, "Couldn't find %s" % egg_info
+
+    # The Debian no-pyversion version of the .egg-info
+    mangled = os.path.join(env.site_packages, "INITools-0.2.egg-info")
+    assert mangled not in result.files_created, "Found unexpected %s" % mangled
+
+    # Simulate a Debian install by copying the .egg-info to their name for it
+    full_egg_info = os.path.join(env.root_path, egg_info)
+    assert os.path.isdir(full_egg_info)
+    full_mangled = os.path.join(env.root_path, mangled)
+    os.renames(full_egg_info, full_mangled)
+    assert os.path.isdir(full_mangled)
+
+    # Try the uninstall and verify that everything is removed.
+    result2 = run_pip("uninstall", "INITools", "-y")
+    assert_all_changes(result, result2, [env.venv/'build', 'cache'])