EU: Pay-for-delay schemes remain top focus for regulators

As both US and EU antitrust regulators discuss the fight against pay-for-delay agreements, seen as anticompetitive for the pharmaceuticals market, the European Commission is reporting an increased number of cases against brand name drug makers concerning the agreements. At the Reuters Euro Zone Summit, Commissioner Joaquin Almunia announced additional cases are headed towards the regulator as more than a dozen drug companies have already been under fire and encompassed under four investigations by the Commission. In outlining the Commissions’ plan of attack to combat the anticompetitive actions, which could lead to consumers paying more for drugs as generics are kept off the shelves, Almunia noted that while those who hold patents to a drug must be protected, once those patents expire, “all citizens should have the right” to access the generics and, therefore, cheaper drugs. The companies involved in the ongoing investigations were not named at the Summit.

Full Content: Reuters

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