Sanofi files lawsuit against Novo Nordisk over ‘false allegations’
pharmafile | January 3, 2017 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | Novo Nordisk, Sanofi
Sanofi has sued Novo Nordisk over claims made in an advertising campaign for its drug Tresiba. Sanofi has filed the claim on the pretext that Novo Nordisk claimed that Sanofi’s insulin drugs would be made unavailable for many patients in the US.
Sanofi is seeking an order, through the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, that will demand Novo Nordisk pay damages to Sanofi and force them to withdraw the marketing materials.
The insulin market in the US is fiercely competitive, with companies trying gain an edge in the market wherever they can. The accusation that Novo Nordisk tried to wilfully mislead patients and doctors is then a serious one. The materials that were distributed to both doctors and patients suggested that Sanofi’s drugs, Lantus and Toujeo, would be “blocked” by CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit manager, beginning this month.
The basis for these claims is that both CVS and insurer UnitedHealth had announced that it will replace Sanofi’s diabetes treatments with Eli Lilly’s biosimilar, Basaglar, as its standard formulary. Eli Lilly’s biosimilar is offered at a significant discount on the branded insulin medications on the market, hence the attraction for the switch by CVS. However, this will not affect all health plans and patients will still be able to choose to purchase Sanofi’s drugs, though that at a more expensive price than Basaglar.
Sanofi is currently struggling in the insulin market in the US with its own projections stating that it will lose sales of between 4% to 8% every year from 2015-2018. Novo Nordisk has also faced enormous pressure over pricing, adjusting its outlook for future sales in the US. Pricing pressure has increased massively of late as Bernie Sanders, among others, has weighed in with his own thoughts and suggested price collusion between the big players in the insulin drug market.
Ben Hargreaves
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