EU regulators to fine Merck, Ranbaxy, others

Reports said that Ranbaxy was among the nine companies that are to fined for the allegedly blocking the entry of the generic medicines in the EU

European Union (EU) antitrust regulators will fine Denmark’s Lundbeck, Germany’s Merck, Ranbaxy and six other drugmakers this month for blocking the entry of cheaper generic medicines to the market, two people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

“The fine for Lundbeck is expected to be significant, less so for the others,” said one of the people, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. The other companies to be fined are Generics UK, Arrow, Resolution Chemicals, Xellia Pharmaceuticals, Alpharma, AL Industrier and India’s No 1 pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy , all of them makers of generic drugs.