Dive Summary:
- Giant Eagle is joining other retailers and drugstores in a suit against Pfizer Inc and Ranbaxy Inc over an alleged 'pay for delay' deal between the two drugmakers.
- According to the retailers, the two pharmaceutical giants made a deal delaying the introduction of a generic alternative to the popular heart medication Lipitor until 2011, violating antitrust laws and forcing retailers to pay artificially inflated prices for the name brand drug.
- Retailers in this and other 'pay for delay' cases are seeking damages for losses sustained, and the issue goes before the Supreme Court on March 25 with a case involving Abbott Laboratories' low-testosterone treatment AndroGel.
From the article:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retailers are joining the debate over drugmaker deals that delay production of cheaper generic versions of popular drugs, underscoring the stakes for more than just consumers as the issue heads to the U.S. Supreme Court this month. ...
