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US: Baltimore files antitrust suit over cost of cancer drug

By  |  May 21, 2019

Maryland’s biggest city has filed an antitrust lawsuit against a biotechnology company it accuses of inflating costs for its prostate cancer drug, reported the Washington Post.

Baltimore announced Monday, May 20, that it has filed suit to recover damages from Janssen Biotech, Inc, part of Johnson & Johnson. Among other things, Baltimore alleges that Janssen pursued “sham litigation” and tried inflating costs for Zytiga, a prostate cancer drug that’s earned billions of dollars.

Baltimore claims its prescription drug plans were unjustly forced into paying “inflated” prices since 2016 when the company’s original patent expired.

Michelle Larkin is a Janssen spokeswoman. She said in a Monday email that the biotech company “stands by its decision to defend the validity and infringement of the relevant patent.”

Full Content: Washington Post

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