Brussels, 07/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 7 January, the European Commission opened formal antitrust investigations into the practices of Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck suspected of breaking European competition rules through agreements that could hinder access to the European market of generic medicines to replace Citalopram, which it developed and marketed. Citalopram is an anti-depressant drug known to be a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. In July of last year, the Commission announced that it was investigating pharmaceutical laboratories which it suspected of blocking access to the European market for generic medicines, particularly through agreements with the manufacturers of these cheaper medicines. The investigation on the industry, which is quite separate from the one opened into Lundbeck, highlighted delays in the marketing of generic medicines which meant that European citizens were having to pay 20% more than needed. Referring to these findings, Jonathan Todd, spokesman for the European competition commissioner told press that they had help guide the on-going investigation. “We now know that we have to concentrate on attempts to block generic access to the market,” he stated, adding that such practices could have “severe consequences for patients and for national budgets since the generic is much less expensive than the branded medicine”. “For that reason, the Commission intends to complete its investigation (into Lundbeck),” Todd said. (O.L./transl.rt)