The Spanish Competition Authority fines a pharmaceutical company €39M for filing unjustified lawsuits with the goal of delaying the entry of rivals into the market for female contraceptive rings (Merck Sharp & Dohme)

The CNMC fines pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp and Dohme 39 million euros for abuse of a dominant position in the market for vaginal contraceptive rings* In 2017, the company took unjustified legal action against its competitor Insud Pharma under the pretext of protecting its patent. With this strategy, it sought to delay the market entry of its competitor's product. Madrid, 25 October 2022.- The CNMC has fined the pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) 38,934,000 euros for abuse of a dominant position in the market for contraceptive vaginal rings (S/0026/19). Background The pharmaceutical company MSD enjoyed a monopoly from