EU Commission fines Teva $500 million for trying to stop rival's multiple sclerosis drug

The European Commission has fined Israeli generic drugmaker Teva much than 460 cardinal euros ($500 million) for improperly seeking to protect nan patent for its aggregate sclerosis supplier and for disparaging a rival company’s improvement of a competing me...

BRUSSELS -- The European Commission said Thursday it has fined Israeli generic drugmaker Teva much than 460 cardinal euros ($500 million) for improperly seeking to protect nan patent for its aggregate sclerosis supplier and for disparaging a rival company's improvement of a competing medicine.

The committee said nan pharmaceutical patient “misused nan patent strategy to artificially widen patent protection” for its blockbuster MS supplier Copaxone, whose progressive constituent is glatiramer acetate.

To do that, Teva conducted a “disparagement campaign” against Synthon, nan only different institution pinch an authorized supplier successful Europe containing glatiramer acetate, nan committee said successful a statement.

Teva “spread accusation contradicted by wellness authorities’ findings, seeking to sow uncertainty connected nan safety, efficacy and therapeutic equivalence of nan rival product,” nan EU Commission said. It said Teva officials targeted doctors and groups progressive successful supplier pricing and reimbursement, “with nan target of slowing down aliases blocking its competitor's entry” into respective countries.

It said Teva's actions whitethorn person prevented important savings by countries crossed Europe, pinch different versions of nan supplier perchance 80% cheaper than Copaxone. Teva will person to salary a good of 462.6 cardinal euros ($502 million) and refrain from akin practices successful nan future, it said.

Last year, Teva was ordered to salary $225 million to settee value fixing charges successful nan U.S. related to income of a cholesterol-lowering drug. The Department of Justice said nan statement besides required Teva to divest its business making and trading nan supplier pravastatin, a generic type of nan brand-name medicine Pravachol.

Representatives for Teva did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from nan Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for each content.