According to court documents, GlaxoSmithKline reached an agreement to pay $150 million to US drug wholesalers who claimed that the company improperly maintained a market monopoly on its allergy treatment Flonase (fluticasone propionate).
The wholesalers, which included AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, claimed that GlaxoSmithKline had abused the consumer’s "petition process" to protect its market dominance and overcharge for the product by restricting access to generic versions. The settlement was preliminarily approved by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, but it is subject to full approval.
A GlaxoSmithKline spokesman confirmed that the company "reached an amicable resolution with the plaintiffs," adding that "the settlement is not an admission or evidence of any violation of any statute or law, or of any liability or wrongdoing." The spokesman said the deal was entered "to remove the protracted disruption, expense, and uncertainty of continuing litigation."