Turkey’s antitrust watchdog launches probe of Teva over allegations of thwarting rivals

Turkish regulatory authorities have launched an antitrust probe into Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries for allegedly blocking rival generic drugs.

The Turkish Competition Authority said the investigation follows the conclusion of a preliminary inquiry into whether Teva, the world’s largest generic drugmaker, engaged in “conduct intended to restrict competition from generic medicines.” The probe was opened against Teva’s Turkish subsidiary, Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe B.V. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Turkey’s dramatic move to boycott all trade with Israel two years ago over the Gaza war has severed commercial relations between the two countries and left very few Israeli companies operating in Turkey. Teva is one of the few.

Amid a collapse in relations following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught, Turkey has also suspended direct flights to Israel, put out multiple arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hosted Hamas leaders.

The Turkish antitrust authority said the investigation will look into “various practices of Teva that may have been aimed at making it more difficult for competitors to enter the market.” Specifically, the regulator accused Teva of allegedly making a “misleading impression before healthcare authorities regarding the efficacy and safety of competing products.”

“Teva is a pharmaceutical company operating at the global scale, which has self-developed patented products in various branches of medicine, such as neurology and immunology,” the Turkish Competition Authority said. It added that the probe “will assess whether Teva’s divisional patent applications” and other practices “are capable of restricting competition from generic medicines.”

While the Turkish regulator did not refer to a specific drug, Teva said in response that the investigation “relates to a legacy antitrust matter concerning Copaxone, similar to the European Commission’s case currently under appeal before the European Court, in which Teva denies any wrongdoing.”

“This remains an investigation at this stage, and we will cooperate with the authorities throughout the process,” Teva said in a statement.

Teva was hit by the European Union with an antitrust fine in 2024 for disparaging a rival product to its blockbuster multiple sclerosis medicine Copaxone. The European Commission charged Teva with breaching EU antitrust rules, saying its anti-competitive practices included misusing the patent system to artificially extend Copaxone’s patent and shield it from competition.

With global headquarters in Tel Aviv, Teva operates four production sites in Israel, including manufacturing sites in Kfar Saba and Neot Haviv, a development center in Netanya and a logistics center in Shoham. The drugmaker has over 50 sites around the world that employ a total workforce of 34,000 people.