Global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is entwined in a legal battle with Australian competition regulators, reports say, regarding a dispute over the sale of the generic form of Lipitor.
Reports say the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission filed a law suit against Pfizer on Thursday regarding its contracts with pharmacies made in 2012. The ACCC says the agreements required pharmacies to purchase a 12-month supply of the generic in order to receive discounts; the agreements were struck just before the Lipitor patent expired in May, 2012.
ACCC head Rod Sims offered a statement, claiming Pfizer made the agreements “for the purpose of deterring or preventing competitors in the market for [the Lipitor generic] from engaging in competitive conduct.”
Pfizer similarly offered a statement to defend itself, saying it believes the contracts it struck with pharmacies were competitive.
Reports say the ACCC’s case against the pharmaceutical company simultaneously raises public awareness of patent issues; Sims told reporters that this is “an important public interest issue regarding the conduct of a patent holder nearing the expiry of that patent.”
Full Content: Bloomberg
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Meta Begins Defense After FTC Concludes Case in Landmark Antitrust Trial
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
UK Data Bill Still No Closer to Passage As Parliamentary ‘Ping-Pong’ Drags On
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Awarded $271.2M in Damages Against Amgen
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
FTC Chair Proposes 15% Staff Reduction Amid Budget Constraints
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
UK Urges Antitrust Watchdog to Prioritize Growth and Clarity in Business Regulation
May 15, 2025 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Healthcare Antitrust
May 14, 2025 by
CPI
Healthcare & Antitrust: What to Expect in the New Trump Administration
May 14, 2025 by
Nana Wilberforce, John W O'Toole & Sarah Pugh
Patent Gaming and Disparagement: Commission Fines Teva For Improperly Protecting Its Blockbuster Medicine
May 14, 2025 by
Blaž Višnar, Boris Andrejaš, Apostolos Baltzopoulos, Rieke Kaup, Laura Nistor & Gianluca Vassallo
Strategic Alliances in the Pharma Sector: An EU Competition Law Perspective
May 14, 2025 by
Christian Ritz & Benedikt Weiss
Monopsony Power in the Hospital Labor Market
May 14, 2025 by
Kevin E. Pflum & Christian Salas