Sanofi files suit against Novo Nordisk just recently over false drug availability claims. Novo Nordisk apparently created a marketing material for their new diabetes drug that includes not only promotion of their product but also a false claim that Sanofi's popular insulin drugs are being withdrawn from the American market.
The false claim is said to increase sales of Novo Nordisk's new insulin drug, Tresiba, according to Sanofi. The marketing brochure tells American patients suffering from diabetes to switch to Tresiba since Sanofi's insulin drugs, Lantus and Toujeo, will be "blocked" by the U.S. pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark this coming January.
Insulin drugs are highly in demand in the U.S. and all over the world as numbers of patients diagnosed with diabetes have soared within the decade. According to a report earlier, diabetes is the most expensive disease in the past years, requiring the most spending on health care.
It's no wonder big pharmaceutical companies are fighting over spots in the medicine shelves. Similarly, it's no big surprise Sanofi files suit against Novo Nordisk.
According to a Sanofi spokesperson, the act is a move by Novo Nordisk to increase the sales of their less known insulin drug. Competition for medical drugs is high, more so with insulin drugs which are used by million of patients each year.
According to Drug Store News, the spokesperson reiterates that statements made by CVS Caremark on the marketing material about the availability of Lantus and Toujeo are false and misleading.
Insulin drugs are polypeptide hormones and proteins that lower sugar levels in the blood. They are the main medication for diabetes to control the symptoms of high blood sugar and manage the development of complications from the disease.
According to Reuters, Sanofi files suit to seek a court order for Novo Nordisk to pay an unspecified amount of monetary damages, and to withdraw their new drug Tresiba off the market.
