Teva: EC Staff Visited Amid French Generic Antitrust Probe
07 10월 2009 - 1:50AM
Dow Jones News
Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (TEVA, TEVA.TV) confirmed
that its Paris offices were visited by European Commission
investigators, saying it is part of a broader antitrust probe of
generic practices in France.
The European Union's executive arm earlier Tuesday said it has
been conducting surprise searches at several companies operating in
the pharmaceutical industry as a preliminary step in an antitrust
probe.
The commission, the European Union's executive arm, didn't name
any of the companies involved, but French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis
(SNY, SAN.FR) is the only company that has confirmed that it was
one of the companies raided.
A U.S.-based spokeswoman from Teva, an Israeli generic drug
giant that has numerous operations across Europe, said the company
is providing full support to commission officials during the
inquiry.
"In any event, we believe that Teva France has conducted its
business in a responsible manner," she said.
-Thomas Gryta; Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2169;
thomas.gryta@dowjones.com
(Mimosa Spencer in Paris contributed to this article.)