PARIS – The European Commission told Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TEVA) that it has a preliminary view that the company broke antitrust rules in the European Union (EU) by doing things to slow down competition with Copaxone.
In October 2019, the Commission did unannounced inspections at the offices of several Teva subsidiaries. In March 2021, it began an investigation into the company’s practises with Copaxone, a drug that is often used to treat multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a long-term illness that doesn’t have a cure yet, so new medicines can make a big difference in patients’ quality of life, said Margrethe Vestager, head of the Commission’s competition policy, on Monday.
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“The key to this scientific progress is protecting intellectual property in a good way. “We are worried that Teva may have cheated the patent system to keep competitors out.”
If the preliminary thoughts of the European Commission are correct, Teva’s actions would be in violation of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which says that a dominant position can’t be used in an unfair way.