Competition authorities probe Novartis over suspected patent abuse
The Swiss competition commission (COMCO) has opened an investigation into suspected unlawful use of a patent to reduce competitive pressure by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/reuters/jdp
Español
es
Investigan a Novartis por sospecha de abuso de patentes
The probe, which is in collaboration with the European Commission, is looking into whether the company used unlawful means to ward off competition for its own dermatological treatments. COMCO conducted an early morning raid at the company’s Basel headquarters on September 13 in connection with the probe.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
“The company allegedly attempted to protect its drug for the treatment of skin diseases against competing products by using one of its patents to initiate litigation proceedings,” COMCO said in a statementExternal link, which didn’t mention the company by name.
The investigation seeks to determine whether the alleged behaviour constitutes the use of a so-called blocking patent, which might amount to an unlawful abuse of an allegedly dominant position according to the Swiss Cartel Act.
In a press releaseExternal link, Novartis confirmed authorities had “visited” the company and said the “opening of an investigation does not imply any finding of wrongdoing or any financial impact. Novartis is fully cooperating with the authorities and is confident to clarify the legitimacy of its position”.
The company told the financial news site AWP that the search was limited to the Basel headquarters.
Swiss car importer ordered to pay CHF4.2 million CO2 penalty
This content was published on
In finding that a car importer engaged in dishonest practices must pay a multimillion-dollar fine, the court also clarified the penalties in general.
Large viewership tuned into controversial 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
This content was published on
Switzerland was one countries boasting more viewers than ever before. A large proportion of younger viewers were also found to have tuned in.
Switzerland Tourism takes stock of three years of pandemic recovery
This content was published on
2023 saw an unprecedented number of overnight guests, suggesting that the industry has been able to bounce back through additional funding, marketing and development.
This content was published on
The bank's CEO acknowledges that the institution is "too big to fail." There is however disagreement with certain of the proposed regulations.
This content was published on
Costs for the health sector, gas and digital payment transactions all ended up in the cross hairs of the Swiss price supervisor last year.
Swiss pharma reckons with its past, present and future
This content was published on
This is the story of how making drugs helped turn a small, mountainous country into an industry titan, and what the pandemic means for its future.
This content was published on
The recent decision by the Swiss drugmaker to shed 7% of its workforce is more than just a cost-cutting measure - it’s a turning point for Novartis.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.