Baltimore Files Antitrust Suit Against Biotech Company
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Maryland's biggest city has filed an antitrust lawsuit against a biotechnology company it accuses of inflating costs for its prostate cancer drug.
Baltimore announced Monday that it has filed suit to recover damages from Jannsen Biotech, Inc, part of Johnson & Johnson. Among other things, Baltimore alleges that Janssen pursued "sham litigation" and tried inflating costs for Zytiga, a prostate cancer drug that's earned billions of dollars.
Baltimore claims its prescription drug plans were unjustly forced into paying "inflated" prices since 2016 when the company's original patent expired.
Michelle Larkin is a Janssen spokeswoman. She said in a Monday email that the biotech company "stands by its decision to defend the validity and infringement of the relevant patent."
Baltimore's law department is co-counsel with a lawyer at a Washington firm.
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