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US: Judge rules J&J must face antitrust suits

By  |  December 11, 2018

US District Judge Curtis Joyner has rejected Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) bid to dismiss class action lawsuits by retailers and insurers claiming the drugmaker conducted an anticompetitive scheme to shield its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade from competition.

The judge ruled the lawsuits sufficiently alleged J&J entered into contracts with insurers that required them to deny or restrict coverage for competing, cheaper drugs and threatened to deny them rebates if they reimbursed patients’ claims for them.

Remicade generated US sales of US$4.8 billion for J&J in 2016, but it faces increased competition from cheaper “biosimilar” copycats, including Pfizer’s version, which is sold in the US under the name Inflectra.

Full Content: Reuters

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