CVS starts selling Impax’s cheaper EpiPen rival

Drugstore chain CVS Health Corp. has started selling a generic version of Impax Laboratories Inc.'s emergency allergy injection, a device similar to Mylan NV's controversial EpiPen.

Mylan, which has been lambasted by consumers and lawmakers for raising EpiPen prices six-fold in less than a decade, said last month it would start selling a generic version of EpiPen for $300 per two-pack, a more than 50 percent discount.

CVS's move comes after health insurer Cigna Corp revised its coverage list to include the generic version of EpiPen instead of the branded version.

'These formulary changes were anticipated and are why we anticipate successful generic utilization,” Mylan spokeswoman Julie Knell said in an email.

Impax's branded Adrenaclick has not caught on with patients and doctors and is not considered by regulators to be an exact copy of EpiPen.

The authorized Adrenaclick generic is available at all CVS Pharmacy locations at $109.99 for a two-pack for both insured and cash-paying patients without insurance, CVS said on Thursday.

The two-pack device, which is assembled by hand by manufacturers, has a list price of more than $400.

Mylan's branded EpiPen doublet has a list price of $649.99, and the authorized generic costs $339.99, CVS added.