Press Statement | 21 January 2011 | PDF
Patent settlements come under scrutiny with the European Commission launching a second monitoring exercise. These pay-for-delay settlements can prevent people from accessing the medicines they need by artificially extending the monopoly of a blockbuster medicine. Last summer the US House of Representatives in its ‘Preserve Access to Generic Medicines Act’ condemned these settlements as anti-competitive and against the public interest. Patient and consumer groups need to be vigilant in monitoring the European Commission’s work on anti-competitive pharmaceutical practices and support its efforts to ensure health in all policies