Tag: Health Care

A doctors’ group consisting of nearly every obstetrician and gynecologist with active medical staff privileges at the two general acute care hospitals in Napa County, California settled charges that they restrained price and other competition by engaging in illegal agreements to fix fees and other terms of dealing with health care insurance plans. According to the complaint issued with the consent order, the doctors refused to deal with the third party payers except on collectively determined terms. The consent order not only prevents the doctors from engaging in similar practices in the future but also requires the dissolution of the group.

The Commission charged Biovail Corporation with illegally acquiring an exclusive patent license for Tiazac, a pharmaceutical used to treat high blood pressure and chronic chest pain. The complaint further alleged that Biovail, in an effort to maintain its monopoly, wrongfully listed the acquired license in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Orange Book” for the purpose of blocking generic competition to its branded Tiazac. The consent order requires Biovail to divest part of its exclusive rights to DOV; prohibits the firm from taking any action that would trigger additional statutory stays on final FDA approval of a generic form of Tiazac; and also prohibits Biovail from wrongfully listing any patents in the Orange Book for a product for which the company already has an New Drug Application from the FDA.

Roche agreed to divest, certain assets in the U.S. and Canada to settle antitrust concerns stemming from its proposed acquisition of Corange Limited. The consent order permits the acquisition but requires the divestiture of Cardiac thrombolytic agents (drugs used to treat heart attack victims) and ongoing business assets relating to chemicals used to test for the presence of illegal or abused drugs.