AbbVie Illegally Profited from Blocking Rivals, Judge Says (1)

AbbVie Inc. was ordered by a federal judge to pay back illegal profits it earned by blocking generic-drug companies from competing against its testosterone-replacement drug, leading to higher prices for consumers.

The company has said it plans to appeal.

U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle in Philadelphia said June 29 the Federal Trade Commission established that AbbVie and partner Besins Healthcare Inc. used baseless patent litigation against competitors to delay the introduction of lower-priced versions of AndroGel.

The court said the companies must pay $448 million, which represents their ill-gotten profits. It is the largest monetary award in a litigated FTC ...