Brussels launches anti-trust investigation into J&J and Novartis
EC will look into sale of painkiller Fentanyl in The Netherlands
The European Commission (EC) has launched a detailed anti-trust investigation into concerns that US-based Johnson & Johnson may have paid the generic divisions of Switzerland’s Novartis to hinder the sale of generic versions of painkiller Fentanyl in The Netherlands.
The EC said this delay could have been caused by ‘contractual arrangements’ between the two companies. If it concludes that these arrangements break European Union (EU) anti-trust laws, it could impose huge fines.
EU competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia said: ‘Pharmaceutical companies are already rewarded for their innovation efforts by…patents. Paying a competitor to stay out of the market is a restriction of competition that the Commission will not tolerate.’
