AbbVie Says Will Appeal $448 Mln Antitrust Judgment

(RTTNews) - AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) said it will appeal a $448 million judgment filed by the Federal Trade Commission, alleging that the pharmaceutical manufacturer and its partner overcharged consumers for a testosterone drug.

"We are disappointed by the ruling. We believe our conduct was lawful and the damages award is improper. We intend to appeal," said an AbbVie spokeswoman, Toni Haubert. Earlier, the U.S. court ruled that AbbVie used sham litigation to illegally maintain its monopoly over the testosterone replacement drug Androgel, and ordered $448 million in monetary relief to consumers who were overcharged for Androgel as a result of AbbVie's conduct, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The decision handed down in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania is the largest monetary award in a litigated FTC antitrust case, the agency said.

In 2014, the FTC alleged AbbVie and its partner Besins Healthcare Inc. blocked consumer access to lower cost versions of the testosterone replacement drug Androgel.