Servier is contesting legal action by the UK’s Department of Health (DH), which claims the French drug manufacturer charged £220m too much for its high blood pressure and heart disease drug perindopril.
A report in the UK paper, the Daily Mail, alleges that Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has accused Servier of forcing doctors to pay for expensive versions of the pills when generic ones were available.
Lansley also alleges that the company paid millions of pounds to rivals not to make generic versions, after its patent ran out in 2001, according to the report.
Lansley is leading the action at the High Court with ten strategic health authorities and 157 primary care trusts to reclaim money the NHS was overcharged between 2001 and 2007.
A spokeswoman for Servier said: “We are contesting the claim and we are confident that the right outcome will be reached.”
Meanwhile a spokeswoman for the DH told PMLiVE that the department could not comment on ongoing proceedings.
Earlier this year Lansley took legal action against Reckitt Benckiser, claiming nearly £90m for overcharging for heartburn drugs.