U.K. Sues Drugmaker Servier for £220 Million

U.K. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has sued the French drugmaker Servier for ?220 million, claiming that the company blocked generic versions of its blood pressure drug Perindopril.

U.K. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has sued the French drugmaker Servier for ￡220 million ($361.3 million), claiming that the company blocked generic versions of its blood pressure drug Perindopril to keep its hold on the market.

Besides paying one generics company ￡5 million to keep its copycat off the market, Servier threatened to sue other generics makers if they tried to sell their own versions, the government says.

Lansley's suit--filed in concert with National Health Service authorities--seeks to recoup overcharges for Perindopril between 2001 and 2007. The suit puts that figure at ￡220 million. This isn't the Health Secretary's first attempt to collect alleged overcharges. The government also sued Reckitt Bencki