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Legal tactics to delay launch of generic drugs cost Europe €3bn, report says

BMJ 2008; 337 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a2817 (Published 01 December 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2817
  1. Andrew Jack
  1. 1Financial Times

    Drug companies are bracing themselves for the launch of a series of antitrust investigations in Europe after the European Commission published a highly critical report on industry practices.

    The 426 page preliminary report by the commission’s Competition Directorate, which is to be followed by a final version next spring, highlights widespread legal tactics by drug companies to defend their patents. The commission says that such tactics have delayed the entry of cheaper generic drugs, at a cost of €3bn (£2.5bn; $3.8bn) since the start of the decade.

    It cites instances of companies starting litigation to hold up competing products, filing multiple patent …

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