French Antritrust Body Rejects Sanctions On Sanofi
18 Mai 2010 - 12:14PM
Dow Jones News
France's antitrust body the Autorite de la Concurrence Tuesday
said it is rejecting a claim from the French subsidiary of generic
medicine maker Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) to immediately sanction
French pharmaceuticals giant Sanofi-Aventis (SNY, SAN.FR) for
alleged anticompetitive behavior with regards to generic
alternatives to its heart drug Plavix.
The conditions required for implementing initial sanctions don't
exist, the body said. However, the body will conduct a deeper
investigation into the issue.
According to the body, Teva is claiming that Sanofi, in its
marketing efforts, doesn't remind doctors and pharmacies that the
generic alternatives to its blockbuster Plavix have been approved
by medical authorities.
The body will launch an investigation to verify if Sanofi's
commercial practices constitute legitimate commercial defense or
could be considered as abusive.
A spokesman for the body said it will provide further
information on the progress of the investigation in several
months.
-By Mimosa Spencer, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 40 17 17 73;
mimosa.spencer@dowjones.com