A Dutch public interest group has filed a lawsuit claiming AbbVie breached a duty to human rights by using unfair and excessive pricing to bolster sales of its Humira drug and dominate the market at the expense of the health care system in the Netherlands.
In making its case, the Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation argued AbbVie allegedly overcharged the Dutch health care system by up to $1.2 billion by “abusing” its position in the marketplace and keeping prices high. The company sold approximately $2.3 billion worth of Humira in the Netherlands between 2004 and 2018, when its patents provided a monopoly.
The number of Dutch patients using Humira increased more than nine times during that time, but the price remained almost unchanged. Each patient spent about $11,000 a year and, as a result, from 2009 to 2018, Humira generated higher annual sales than any other drug in the country, according to the lawsuit. After the patent expired in the European Union, AbbVie lowered the price by about 80%, on average.
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