The European Commission has launched a competition probe into the pharmaceutical industry on concerns about uncompetitive behaviour in the sector.
Anglo-Swedish drugs giant AstraZeneca and British peer GlaxoSmithKline said today they had been approached by EU regulators as part of the competition probe.
In Paris, Sanofi-Aventis said it too had been visited by the regulators and was cooperating with them in connection with the investigation.
The European Union's top antitrust watchdog said it was carrying out unannounced inspections at 'innovative and generic pharmaceutical companies' to look for evidence that competition was being stifled.
Concerned about a dwindling flow of new drugs and delays to generic products coming to the market, the Commission's probe aims to determine if patent settlements between firms break EU competition rules.
EU regulators are also to look into whether drug companies illegally thwart the entry of rivals into their markets with artificial barriers such as misuse of patent rights or litigation.
'Individuals and governments want a strong pharmaceutical sector that delivers better products and value for money,' EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said.
'But if innovative products are not being produced, and cheaper generic alternatives to existing products are in some case being delayed, then we need to find out why, and if necessary, take action,' she added.
EU regulators use such sector-wide investigations, which have in recent years also targeted the telecoms, energy and financial services industries, to gain a better understanding of the markets in order to open specific cases against companies if deemed necessary.
