Flonase Antitrust Class Action Settlement Reached

Flonase Antitrust Class Action Settlement Reached

By Mike Holter

GlaxoSmithKline reached an undisclosed class action lawsuit settlement with two groups of drug purchasers, ending allegations the pharmaceutical company blocked generic versions of allergy medication Flonase to the market.

U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody preliminarily approved the Flonase class action settlement deal on Monday, but the terms of agreement remain under seal at this time.

GlaxoSmithKline spokesman Kevin Colgan did say the Flonase settlement will cover both indirect and direct purchasers of Flonase.

“In reaching the settlement, the parties have agreed that it is not an admission or evidence of any violation of any statute or law, or of any liability or wrongdoing by GSK,” GlaxoSmithKline spokesman Kevin Colgan said in a statement.

Plaintiffs allege in the Flonase antitrust class action lawsuit that GSK attempted to monopolize the market by fling sham citizen petitions with the Food and Drug Administration to delay the entry of a cheaper, generic version of Flonase into the market.

Plaintiffs further accused the drug maker of inflating the price of Flonase during this time period from $60 per bottle in 2004 to $70 per bottle in 2006, when generic versions of Flonase finally made it to market. By 2009, the price of Flonase had dropped significantly to $20 per bottle, court documents said. Plaintiffs argued that the price would have leveled out much sooner if GSK had not blocked generics from entering the market.

Judge Brody certified the Flonase class action lawsuit last June.

Detailed instructions on how to file a claim for the Flonase Antitrust Class Action Lawsuit Settlement can be found in our Open Class Action Lawsuits section.

Updated June 17th, 2013

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