Canada: Celgene, Pfizer, and Sanofi investigated by regulator

The Canadian Competition Bureau announced last month that it is closing an investigation into allegations of abuse of dominance by certain brand name drug manufacturers including Celgene, Pfizer Canada, and Sanofi-Aventis Canada.

The Bureau investigated policies and practices that were alleged to restrict generic drug manufacturers from accessing samples of brand name drugs, which are also known as Canadian Reference Products (CRPs). Generic drug manufacturers play an important role in keeping health costs down by competing against brand drugs when they lose patent protection. In general, the Bureau is concerned when a generic drug manufacturer faces avoidable setbacks in bringing their drugs to market.

Before a generic drug can enter the market, a generic drug manufacturer must prove that their drugs are safe and effective by submitting testing that demonstrates that the generic drug is bio-equivalent to a branded drug. To complete this testing, they need access to CRPs.

Full Content: Canada

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