EU regulators suspect Danish Company Lundbeck may have delayed the launch of a cheaper, generic version of its antidepressant drug (citalopram) in Europe. The European Commission said it had opened a formal antitrust investigation to check whether H. Lundbeck A/S made deals with other pharmaceutical companies to delay them selling citalopram after Lundbeck's exclusive right to the drug it developed ran out in 2003. Citalopram is one of the most widely used drugs to treat depression and anxiety and is sold under the name Celexa in the U.S. and Canada and Cipramil in most of Europe. It acts by altering serotonin levels which can raise a person's mood. Lundbeck has expressed cooperation with the EU regulators and was "confident that the group has complied with all relevant national and EU competition legislation." The company recently patented escitalopram, which is chemically similar to citalopram. Three generics companies tried to challenge that patent in the British courts, claiming it was not significantly different to the original drug. In 2008, Lundbeck won on appeal, protecting its patent.
Investigations are in the pipeline to be carried out by EU regulators who would monitor the allegations on Lundeback as a matter of priority. The EU says generic drugs are on average 40 percent cheaper than their branded rivals two years after they launch. It warned that it knew of at least 200 settlement agreements - some including payments to delay drug launches - between generic and brand-name drug makers that could restrict the rollout of generic versions.
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