Price-Fixing Alleged in Testosterone

TRENTON, N.J. (CN) - Solvay Pharmaceuticals and its Unimed subsidiary monopolized the topical testosterone market by fixing the price of Androgel and paying potential competitors "tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars" to delay generic versions of the drug, a federal antitrust class action claims. Also sued are Watson Pharmaceuticals, Par Pharmaceuticals and Paddock Laboratories.

Solvay/Unimed is accused of conspiring in 2006 to pay its potential generic competitors, Par, Paddock and Watson, "tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars, as well as provide other compensation, in exchange for agreements by the Generic Defendants not to sell their generic versions of Androgel for nearly a decade, until 2015 for Watson, the first Abbreviated New Drug Application filer, and until 2016 for the remaining Generic Defendants."

Lead counsel for named plaintiff Stephen L. LaFrance Pharmacy is Diane Nast of Lancaster, Pa.