Israeli drugmaker Teva is being investigated by EU antitrust regulators who are looking into whether it illegally hindered rivals' access to its multiple sclerosis medicine Copaxone.
The European Commission, which carried out unannounced inspections on Teva in 2019 and 2020, said the probe will look into whether Teva has abused its dominant market position in breach of EU antitrust rules, which could lead to hefty fines.
It said Teva may have artificially extended the market exclusivity of Copaxone by strategically filing and withdrawing divisional patents after the 2015 expiry of its basic patent covering the ingredient glatiramer acetate used in the drug.