New York (AFP)
Israeli generic drug giant Teva is being sued by US authorities for an illegal drug price cartel between 2013 and 2015, according to a US Department of Justice statement released on Tuesday, charges the group denied.
Authorities accuse Teva and its co-conspirators of agreeing to fix prices, rig tenders and distribute customers for several generic drugs, including the popular cholesterol-lowering Pravastatin.
In total, the patients would have paid 350 million dollars more than they should have, assures the Department of Justice.
"Teva is deeply disappointed that the government has chosen to continue these prosecutions," the group responded in a statement. He claims to have conducted an internal review over four years and, on this basis, he "firmly rejects the allegations and will vigorously defend the company in court."
The group says it has cooperated with investigators and tried to find an amicable solution. But according to him, the Justice Department "refused to consider alternatives that would not have a profound impact on Teva and the parties that depend on the group, including the patients who benefit from our drugs."
Teva claims that one in ten generic drug prescriptions in the United States are for its products.
Five companies prosecuted in this case have already paid heavy fines to settle the lawsuits.
Sandoz, a subsidiary of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, had thus agreed to pay a fine of 195 million dollars in March and the American subsidiary of the Israeli group Taro Pharmaceuticals, 205.7 million dollars in July.
Other companies involved include Apotex, which agreed to pay a $ 24.1 million fine in May, and Glenmark, who was indicted by a grand jury in July.
Teva, which sold $ 17 billion worth of drugs last year, was also accused earlier this month by U.S. officials of artificially inflating the price of reimbursements for its multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone for government-run Medicare patients.
© 2020 AFP