U.S. Justice Department withdraws Mylan’s Viatris unit from industry antitrust investigation

(Reuters) – Mylan, a unit of Viatris, is no longer the subject of a U.S. Justice Department antitrust investigation into alleged price-fixing in the generic drug industry, the parent company said on Tuesday.

Mylan and several large drugmakers, such as Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and India’s Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, have been under the Justice Department’s scrutiny for more than eight years over alleged anticompetitive business practices involving price-fixing of certain generic drugs.

Many states have also filed lawsuits against these companies for alleged antitrust practices.

Viatris was formed in 2020 through the merger of Pfizer’s Mylan and Upjohn businesses. It produces generic and brand-name drugs, including the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

The investigation into Mylan involved pricing and marketing of its generic antibiotic doxycycline, which is used to treat bacterial infections such as acne, pneumonia, Lyme disease, chlamydia and syphilis.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration database, there are multiple forms of doxycycline produced by more than a dozen companies.

The Department of Justice has informed Viatris that it does not expect to take further action regarding the pricing and sales of its generic drugs.

The Viatris statement did not mention why Mylan was excluded from the investigation.

The company said it will continue to defend itself against the remaining civil lawsuits related to the case.

Shares of Pennsylvania-based Viatris rose 1% in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Devika Syamnath)