Boehringer Ingelheim accused of misusing US patents to delay asthma-drug rivals
Written By : Ruchika Sharma
Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Published On 2024-03-07 07:08 GMT | Update On 2024-03-20 10:35 GMT
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German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim was accused in a federal lawsuit in Boston on Wednesday of improperly submitting patents to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay generic competition and inflate prices for its lung disease drugs Combivent Respimat and Spiriva Respimat.
The Massachusetts Laborers' Health and Welfare Fund said in the lawsuit that Boehringer misused several patents related to its Respimat inhaler to extend its monopoly on the drugs by up to 10 years, from 2020 to 2030.
The proposed class-action lawsuit accused Boehringer of costing the employee benefit fund and other drug purchasers "many millions, if not billions, of dollars in overcharges over the past three years."
"We stand by our patents and our adherence to FDA guidelines," Boehringer said in a statement.
An attorney for the laborers' fund declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission last year sent notices to several drugmakers including Boehringer to dispute 110 patents submitted to the FDA's Orange Book, which features lists of patents covering drugs that the FDA has deemed safe and effective. The FTC claims the patent submissions may have been misused to delay generic competition.
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