The Competition Authority has severely sanctioned the pharmaceutical laboratory Janssen France and its parent company Johnson and Jonhnson. They must pay a fine of 25 million euros for “denigration” of generics of Durogesic, its originator drug, since 2007. This fine stems from a procedure initiated by the Competition Authority, seized by the Ratiopharm pharmaceutical laboratory, now Teva Santé. In its decision, the institution considers that the Janssen laboratory has “delayed the arrival on the market of generics of Durogesic and slowed down, in a second step, their development”, specifies the Authority in a communicated.
The Durogesic is a analgesicstrong opioid, the active substance of which is fentanyl, prescribed for the treatment of severe pain. In particular, it is issued to patients suffering from chronic pain of cancerous origin, including children. It is prescribed as a patch to be affixed to the skin.
Two “serious” practices sanctioned
The Competition Authority considers that the Janssen laboratory intervened with the National Medicines Safety Agency (Afssaps at the time) to prevent and limit the development of generics of Durogesic according to the Authority. He tried to “convince the health authority to refuse the granting at the national level of generic status to competing specialties of Durogesic”, points out the decision.
Second “serious” practice noted, the establishment of a “vast campaign to denigrate generic Durogesic”. To promote its drug to the detriment of generics, the company has come forward to health professionals to encourage them to favor the prescription of Durogesic. The laboratory has propagated “among health professionals practicing in town and in hospitals (doctors, pharmacists) a misleading speech likely to instill doubt in their minds on the effectiveness and harmlessness of these generics”, judge l administrative authority.
These methods have “delayed the arrival of generics by several months. [de Durogesic] on the market “and have” discredited them[s]”, concludes the Competition Authority.
[Secteur du médicament] Sanction of 25M € fine for the Janssen-Cilag laboratory and @JNJCares (its parent company) which prevented and then limited the development of generics for Durogesic #health#competetion#antitrust ➜ https://t.co/Fwjz4KmVsipic.twitter.com/XaN18NxR96
– Autorite_concurrence (@Adlc_) December 20, 2017
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