FTC Ends Antitrust Battle With AbbVie Over ‘Sham’ Patent Suits

The Federal Trade Commission withdrew its antitrust lawsuit against AbbVie Inc., calling instead for Congress to give the agency authority to seek consumer redress.

The commission dropped its one remaining claim in the case, that AbbVie used an illegal reverse-payment agreement to settle a lawsuit, the agency said in a statement.

The FTC’s decision closes its seven-year-old case against the pharmaceutical giant and partner Besins Healthcare Inc., which accused them of using “sham” patent infringement lawsuits to block competitors from marketing generic versions of the testosterone drug AndroGel.

A federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the ...