EU fines 2 medical firms for delaying market entry of pain-killer

The European Commission Tuesday imposed fines of 10 million euro (USD 13.7 million) on the US pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson and 5.4 million euro (USD 7.4 mn) on Novartis of Switzerland. In July 2005, their respective Dutch subsidiaries concluded an agreement to delay the market entry of a cheaper generic version of the pain-killer fentanyl in the Netherlands, in breach of EU rules. Fentanyl is a pain-killer 100 times more potent than morphine. It is used notably for patients suffering from cancer. EU Commissioner for competition policy Joaquin Almunia, in press statements said: "Johnoson and Johnson paid Novartis to delay the entry of a generic pain killer. The two companies shockingly deprived patients in the Netherlands, including people suffering from cancer, from access to a cheaper version of this medicine. "Today's decision should make pharmaceutical companies think twice before engaging into such anticompetitive practices, which harm both patients and taxpayers."