Inspired by Erdogan? Turkish Authorities Open Investigation Against Teva

The Turkish Competition Authority has opened an investigation into the company Teva on suspicion that it violated local law and prevented the activity of competitors in the pharmaceutical market.

In the state news agency Anadolu, it was reported that the local competition authority has finished the preliminary investigation, which dealt with the question of whether the company Teva acted to limit competition in generic drugs, including through the use of patent procedures for strategic goals and creating a "misleading" appearance before the health authorities in Ankara regarding the efficacy and safety of certain products.

The Turkish investigation was opened against the international Teva corporation, the subsidiary Teva Europe, and the subsidiary in Turkey, to determine if they violated the law. The media outlet noted that Teva is a pharmaceutical company that operates globally, and that the investigation focuses on actions "that may act to prevent the entry of competitors into the market."

The investigation currently does not lead to sanctions against Teva.

Within the framework of the investigation against the pharmaceutical company, it will be examined whether Teva's split patent applications regarding production methods and drug dosages were accepted after the expiration of the patent protection period, as well as derivative cancellation methods, which may limit parallel companies. For the time being, the investigation does not lead to sanctions imposed on the pharmaceutical company that operates in the country.

Teva is only one Israeli company among several that still operates in Turkey. The pharmaceutical company's headquarters in the country is located in Istanbul, and it also manages a commercial activity center for marketing drugs, alongside collaborations with local organizations to improve the accessibility of medical treatment. The investigation against it was opened about two months after the board of directors of the faucet company Hamat decided to close the activity of the Turkish subsidiary MCP from Izmir, against the background of difficulties in marketing the products in the local market and in other markets outside of Israel.

An Israeli company that is still present in the country as part of its global deployment is ICL (formerly Israel Chemicals). The company operates 38 sites in 13 countries, including the UK, Brazil, China, Australia, and also Turkey. In the company's offices in the country, calcium phosphate and industrial cleaning materials are marketed. Despite the political tension, a prominent player in Turkey is the irrigation company Netafim. Ownership of the company is divided between the Mexican corporation Orbia, which holds 80% of it, and Kibbutz Hatzerim, which holds 20%. The company's Turkish facility is responsible for the production and marketing of irrigation products and support for agriculture for the local economy itself, and not for the benefit of export.

"The investigation of the Turkish Competition Authority concerns an antitrust issue from the past related to the drug Copaxone, similar to a process that the European Commission is conducting, which is currently under appeal before the European Court, and within which Teva rejects any claim of misconduct on its part. This is an investigative process, and we will cooperate with the authorities throughout the process," the company stated.