Turkey probes Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva over claims it blocked rivals in drug market

Turkey's Competition Authority has opened an investigation against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on suspicion that the Israeli company violated local laws and prevented activities by rivals in the local pharmaceutical market.

Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported that the local competition authority has concluded a preliminary investigation into whether Teva acted to restrict competition in generic drugs, including by using patent procedures for strategic purposes, and creating a "misleading" impression on health authorities in Ankara about the efficacy and safety of certain products.

The Turkish investigation was opened against Teva International, its subsidiary Teva Europe, and its subsidiary in Turkey to determine whether the law was violated.

The media outlets that are direct mouthpieces of the Erdogan regime noted that Teva is a pharmaceutical company that operates worldwide, and that the investigation focuses on actions "that may prevent competitors from entering the market."

The investigation is examining whether Teva manipulated the patent applications for production methods and drug dosages by making applications after the expiration of the patent protection period, as well as the derivative cancellation methods, which could restrict rival companies.

The probe currently does not result in sanctions against Teva

For now, the investigation does not result in sanctions being imposed on the pharmaceutical company operating in the country.

Teva is one of the few Israeli companies still operating in Turkey due to the trade embargo on Israel. The pharmaceutical company's headquarters is in Istanbul, and it also operates a commercial activity center for marketing drugs, alongside collaborations with local organizations to improve access to medical care.

In June, Israeli sanitaryware company Hamat decided to shut down the operations of MCP, its Turkish subsidiary in Izmir, due to the difficulties in marketing its products in the local market and other markets outside Israel.

Israeli companies in Turkey

An Israeli company that is still present in Turkey as part of its global operations is ICL (formerly Israel Chemicals).

The company operates 38 sites in 13 countries, including the UK, Brazil, China, Australia, and Turkey. ICL's offices in Turkey market calcium phosphate and industrial cleaning products.

Despite the political tensions, a prominent player in Turkey is the irrigation company Netafim.

Ownership of the company is divided between Mexican corporation Orbia (80%) and Kibbutz Hatzerim (20%).

The company's Turkish facility is responsible for manufacturing and marketing irrigation and agricultural support products for the local economy itself, rather than for export.

Teva said, "The Turkish Competition Authority's investigation concerns a past antitrust issue related to the drug Copaxone, similar to the process being conducted by the European Commission, which is currently under appeal before the European Court of Justice, and in which Teva rejects any claim of misconduct on its part. This is an investigative process, and we will cooperate with the authorities throughout the process."