(Reuters) – Gilead Sciences Inc said on Monday it plans to launch generic versions of its hepatitis C drugs in the United States, at a time when regulators are looking to lower healthcare costs. The drugmaker’s generic version of drugs such as Harvoni and Epclusa, which raked in combined sales of $831 million in the quarter ended June 30, will be launched via a newly created subsidiary Asegua Therapeutics LLC. Gilead’s decision comes more than a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd’s copycat version of Mylan NV’s life-saving allergy injection, EpiPen. U.S. healthcare companies, ranging from insurers to drug retailers, are stepping up efforts to combat rising drug prices that have been widely criticized by regulators.
