Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17040

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Watson R
European Commission targets drug firms over illegal patent protection
BMJ 2010 Jan 15;
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/340/jan15_2/c268

Abstract:

The European Commission is stepping up pressure on drug companies it suspects of using illegal sweetener deals to protect their patents and prevent cheaper generic drugs from entering the market.

Just three weeks before she is due to stand down as European Union Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes has asked several European companies to supply her staff with copies of their patent settlement agreements.

The commission did not divulge the identities of the companies it had targeted. But several confirmed they had been contacted and asked to provide documentation, including annexes, of all agreements with generic drug producers concluded between 1 July 2008 and 31 December 2009. These included AstraZeneca plc, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, and Roche.

A spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline said, “We have received a request from the EU Commission, as part of their ongoing monitoring, for information regarding interactions with generic manufacturers. We will be providing the commission with all . . .