JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Teva Pharmaceutical ( NYSE: TEVA ) has filed a lawsuit accusing Corcept Therapeutics ( NASDAQ: CORT ) of engaging in antitrust behavior in marketing its lead product, Korlym, for a rare condition known as Cushing’s syndrome. The lawsuit filed in a federal court in San Francisco on Thursday alleged that Corcept ( CORT ) and specialty pharmacy Optime Care, which distributes the drug, “have been engaged in an ongoing scheme to monopolize the market for Korlym.” In August 2020, Teva ( TEVA ) received FDA approval to market a generic version of Korlym, a once-daily oral medication, also known as mifepristone.
The company alleged that Corcept ( CORT ) reached an exclusive agreement that required Optime to distribute only Korlym and prevented it from distributing competing products. It also accused Corcept ( CORT ) of paying “illicit bribes and kickbacks” to physicians as inducements for prescribing the branded product despite the availability of the generic. “The antitrust laws do not tolerate this state of affairs,” the Israeli drugmaker said, seeking judicial intervention to restore competition and remedy the damages it has already incurred.
Teva ( TEVA ) and Corcept ( CORT ) have engaged in a lengthy legal battle over Korlym. Late last year, the Tel-Aviv-based generic drugmaker won a patent infringement lawsuit related to the drug, which Corcept ( CORT ) has already appealed. More on Corcept Therapeutics, Teva, etc.
Corce.
