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GlaxoSmithKline

Relafen Antitrust Litigation

Date: 02/06/2004 (Date of Announcement)

Misconduct Type: Antitrust

Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental

Contracting Party: None

Court Type: Civil

Amount: $175,000,000

Disposition: Settlement

Synopsis: GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $175 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed in federal court in Massachusetts accusing the company of blocking cheaper generic forms of its arthritis drug Relafen. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of wholesale purchasers who bought Relafen directly from GSK and resold them to health plans, pharmacies and supermarkets. In August 2001, a court ruled that GSK’s patent covering Relafen was both invalid and unenforceable due to the company’s inequitable conduct.