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WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever generic version of EpiPen Thursday — a move the agency says could help lower costs for the drug, which can carry a price tag of more than $600.

It isn’t clear how much the new version, which will be sold by Teva, will cost. But it may be a lower-cost option for individuals with allergies, who need to keep this lifesaving medicine with them at all times. Right now, a two-pack of EpiPen, marketed by Mylan, currently lists for $608.61. Mylan also makes its own “authorized generic” version, which it sells for $300 per pair.

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The approval comes about two years after Mylan landed in hot water for drastically raising the price of its medicine while using its monopoly power to keep competitors out of the market. Since 2004, the company raised the price of EpiPen over 450 percent.

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