The California Supreme Court on Thursday revived a class-action lawsuit that accuses Bayer of paying another drug company to delay introducing a generic version of a Bayer antibiotic.
The practice is known as “pay to delay” and can violate antitrust law, according to a 2013 US Supreme Court decision.
The unanimous ruling by the state’s highest court was aimed at a settlement reached by Bayer, the holder of a patent on Cipro, and Barr Laboratories Inc., which wanted to introduce a generic version of the popular antibiotic and challenged Bayer’s patent.
Under the settlement, Bayer agreed to pay Barr $398.1 million, and Barr agreed to postpone the marketing of its generic.
The settlement sparked several antitrust lawsuits, including nine class-action suits filed by California consumers.
Full content: Reuters
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
