BENGALURU — Netherlands-based Mylan says it will launch the first generic version of its allergy auto-injector EpiPen at half the price of the branded product, the drug maker’s second step in a few days to counter a wave of criticism over the product’s high price.The firm reduced the out-of-pocket costs of EpiPen for some patients last week, but kept the list price at about $600, a move that legislators said was not enough.EpiPen cost about $100 in 2008.Mylan said on Monday it expected to launch the generic product "in several weeks" at a list price of $300, a highly unusual move considering the branded product is still under patent protection and rival treatments have failed to get regulatory clearances.CEO Heather Bresch has defended EpiPen’s high price, saying Mylan had spent hundreds of millions of dollars improving the product since acquiring it from Germany’s Merck.The company has said it recouped less than half of EpiPen’s list price because pharmacy benefit managers, which o...
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