After three years of probing, the European Commission has reached a preliminary decision that Teva Pharmaceuticals illegally used different strategies to prevent rival companies from introducing versions of a top-selling medicine.
The review found that Teva used various patent maneuvers to thwart generic manufacturers from being able to market copycat versions of the Copaxone multiple sclerosis treatment. The European Commission also determined that the company ran a campaign directed at hospitals and doctors to create “false perceptions” of similar multiple sclerosis medicines.
At issue is whether Teva abused its dominant position in the marketplace, which the company may have done in Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. The European Commission explained that doing so harms competitors and patients while also inflating public health spending. The European Union spends about $485 million a year on the multiple sclerosis treatment.
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