Barr Laboratories Accuses DuPont Pharmaceuticals of Misleading Regulators and Pharmacists

Strategic Insights -

Barr Laboratories, Inc. has charged DuPont Pharmaceuticals with using scare tactics to protect a 40-year monopoly on the Coumadin anticoagulant. The accusation comes after DuPont's attempt to pressure the Virginia Board of Pharmacy into supporting their efforts to delay the generic erosion of their market share. Barr has been fighting DuPont's legislative and regulatory initiatives for over 18 months, during which they have dispensed approximately 2.5 million prescriptions for their Warfarin Sodium Tablets. The product, which is used to treat complications associated with atrial fibrillation, is the nation's 11th most refilled prescription drug, with over 19 million prescriptions written in the past 12 months.

Key Takeaways:

  • Barr Laboratories accuses DuPont Pharmaceuticals of misleading regulators, physicians, and pharmacists regarding the true nature of their NTI substitution efforts.
  • DuPont is attempting to delay the generic erosion of their market share for the Coumadin anticoagulant, a 40-year, $560 million monopoly.
  • Barr has spent over 18 months fighting DuPont's legislative and regulatory initiatives.
  • The company has dispensed approximately 2.5 million prescriptions for their Warfarin Sodium Tablets since July 1997.
  • Warfarin Sodium Tablets are used in the treatment of complications associated with atrial fibrillation, a disease that affects three million Americans, particularly the elderly.
  • The product is the nation's 11th most refilled prescription drug, with over 19 million prescriptions written in the past 12 months.
  • Barr's Chairman, President, and CEO, Bruce L. Downey, stated that DuPont's assertion that generic alternatives cause concomitant usage is misleading and untrue.
  • The pharmaceutical industry is committed to helping physicians and pharmacists counsel patients on the use of different strengths of the same product properly.

Statistics:

  • DuPont's alleged monopoly on the Coumadin anticoagulant is worth $560 million.
  • Barr has dispensed approximately 2.5 million prescriptions for their Warfarin Sodium Tablets since July 1997.
  • The nation's 11th most refilled prescription drug in the United States is Warfarin Sodium Tablets, with over 19 million prescriptions written in the past 12 months.
  • Three million Americans, particularly the elderly, suffer from atrial fibrillation complications that can be treated with Warfarin Sodium Tablets.

Sources:

  • "Barr Laboratories Charges DuPont Pharmaceuticals with Misleading Regulators, Physicians, and Pharmacists Regarding True Nature of NTI Substitution Efforts." PRNewswire, October 14, 2023.
  • Barr Laboratories, Inc. company website.