FTC Keeps Pressure On Wall Street, Refiles Suit Against Allergan, Others

The Federal Trade Commission refiled complaints against multiple drug companies Monday for their efforts to block generic competitors of branded products.

Endo Pharma And International

In one case, the FTC filed an antitrust suit against Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Endo International plc - Ordinary Shares ENDP for allegedly using pay-for-delay settlements to limit competition for the pain-relieving Lidoderm and Opana ER.

In response to the activity, the commission proposed an order prohibiting Endo from establishing future anti-competitive patent settlements.

Three other companies are accused of involvement in the operations.

Allergan, Impax And Watson Labs

The FTC charged Allergan plc Ordinary Shares AGN and Watson Laboratories, Inc. with blocking competition for Lidoderm after entering an agreement with Endo. The commission is looking to curb the effects of the partnership by permanently prohibiting Watson and Allergan from future anti-competitive activity and by seizing their “ill-gotten gains.”

Impax Laboratories Inc IPXL was issued an administrative complaint for similar dealings regarding Opana ER. According to the official document, Impax accepted more than $112 million from Endo in exchange for delaying generic Opana ER production for three years.

The FTC initially filed a single action in March alleging that the aforementioned companies cut competition by engaging in reverse-payment settlements around the two drugs. The commission dropped the charges in November.