Brussels, 29/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 28 April 2011, the European Commission announced that it has opened formal antitrust investigations to assess whether an agreement between US-based pharmaceutical company Cephalon and Israel-based generic drugs firm Teva may have had the object or effect of hindering the entry of generic Modafinil in Europe. Modafinil is a medicine used to treat sleeping disorders.
Under the Cephalon-Teva out-of-court settlement over a dispute between the two companies about the patent for Modafinil in the UK and the US, Teva pledged not to sell Modafinil in the EEA until October 2012. The same agreement is also being investigated for potential abuse of dominant market position in the United States. The opening of the investigation in Europe does not imply that the Commission has any evidence of misdemeanours. (F.G./transl.fl)