The Competition Commission Weko has opened an investigation against a Swiss group. The latter may have tried to protect itself from competition.
The Swiss Competition Commission Weko opened an investigation against a Swiss pharmaceutical company on Sept. 13, 2022, a media release said Thursday.
A search was also carried out at the premises of the company concerned, the competition watchdog further said. Swiss Media reported that Basel-based pharmaceutical company Novartis was affected. The company had confirmed a “visit” by the authorities in this regard.
Patent abused?
The accusations of the officials are steep: Novartis allegedly tried to protect its own preparation for the treatment of skin diseases against competing products. In doing so, the company is said to have initiated legal proceedings on the basis of one of its patents.
The Weko investigation that has now been launched is intended to clarify whether there has been any use of so-called ‘blocking patents,’ which could constitute an inadmissible abuse of an allegedly dominant position under the Cartel Act.
International cooperation
The Weko has cooperated with the European Commission in the case, according to the communiqué. This cooperation is made possible by the 2014 bilateral agreement between Switzerland and the European Union on cooperation in the field of competition law.
09/15/2022/kut./ena.
