AstraZeneca, Ranbaxy Laboratories prevail, Nexium drug deal ‘not anti-competitive’

In a landmark judgement for pharma sector, a US jury has ruled that AstraZeneca’s patent litigation settlement for blockbuster drug Nexium with Ranbaxy Laboratories was not anti-competitive.

“…a jury in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts returned a verdict in favour of AstraZeneca in a multi-district antitrust case filed by various purchaser groups challenging the previous settlement of Nexium patent litigation with Ranbaxy,” AstraZeneca said in a release.

AstraZeneca said the company has always maintained that the plaintiffs’ allegations were without merit.

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“All parties have appellate rights. Two cases making similar allegations were filed by numerous purchasers in the state court in Pennsylvania and are still pending,” AstraZeneca said.

Comments from Ranbaxy Laboratories on this matter could not be immediately obtained.

The lawsuit challenged a 2008 settlement between AstraZeneca and Ranbaxy Laboratories that allowed Ranbaxy to launch in 2014 a generic version of Nexium, which offers heartburn relief caused by acid reflux disease.

Incidentally, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) recently revoked an approval given to Ranbaxy to sell generic version of Nexium in the US market.