On Friday 19 April, the European Commission announced that it was seeking the views of all interested parties on the commitments proposed by the pharmaceutical company Vifor to address the Commission’s concerns about possible anti-competitive behaviour (see EUROPE 12975/18).
Vifor held a dominant position in several national markets for the supply of intravenous iron-based medicines.
Following the opening of a formal investigation procedure in June 2022, the Commission is concerned that Vifor may have conducted a misleading and unlawful smear campaign aimed primarily at healthcare professionals, which may have hindered Monofer’s uptake in the European Economic Area (EEA). Monofer is a treatment for iron deficiency developed by Pharmacosmos, Vifor’s closest competitor in Europe.
Vifor has undertaken to launch a global, multi-channel communication campaign to rectify and nullify the effects of potentially misleading messages against Monofer, and to refrain from producing external promotional and medical communications on the safety profile of Monofer for a period of 10 years throughout the EEA. Finally, Vifor has undertaken to implement a number of measures and safeguards to ensure that its commitments are respected.
This stakeholder consultation is open for 1 month from the publication of the summary of the proposed commitments in the Official Journal of the EU. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)