EU threatens antitrust action against drugmakers

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes threatened Friday to take antitrust action against drug companies that conspire to thwart European competition rules.

Unveiling preliminary findings from a sector-wide probe, she accused drug companies of blocking or delaying generic or more affordable medicines from coming to market, driving up costs for consumers and taxpayers.

"It is still early days but the commission will not hesitate to open antitrust cases against companies where there are indications that the antitrust rules may have been breached," Kroes said.

Initial findings of the inquiry found that pharmaceutical groups used a wide range of measures to trip up generic drugmakers, who sell medicines equivalent to original treatment once their patents have expired.

In particular, drug developers may file multiple patent applications for the same medicine, launch litigation that lasts nearly three years on average and lobby national authorities against giving generic companies regulatory approvals.

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