EU action on pharma patent 'pay-to-delay' settlements - a legal opinion; US FTC also to review the subject
The European Commission yesterday launched a probe over patent settlements made between drug companies and generics manufacturers and whether their use is preventing consumers from accessing cheaper medicines, activities that have been dubbed 'pay-to-delay' (The Pharma Letter January 12).
While the Commission has not named the parties involved, several key market players have come forward and said they have been approached, including the UK-based majors AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, Switzerland's Novartis and Roche, and France's Sanofi-Aventis. Generics manufacturers also approached include Niche Generics (part of Unichem) and Isreal's Teva. Also, just a week earlier, the Commission revealed it is investigating Denmark's Lundbeck (TPL January 7).
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