Humana Agrees to Avoid Israel References in Teva Price-Fixing Trial
Humana will not call Teva an Israeli company at the upcoming US generic drug price-fixing trial, citing Gaza war prejudice concerns.
Health insurer Humana has agreed not to describe Teva as an Israeli company during an upcoming US antitrust trial, a concession aimed at preventing the Gaza conflict from swaying jurors. The agreement was disclosed in a filing on Wednesday night in federal court in Philadelphia.
The trial, scheduled to begin on September 15 and run through late October, centers on allegations that Teva and several other pharmaceutical companies conspired to inflate prices for generic drugs, including the muscle relaxant baclofen and the blood pressure medication propranolol.
Teva, which is headquartered in Tel Aviv, had earlier asked the judge to bar any mention of its national origin, arguing that the issue is irrelevant to the antitrust claims and could unfairly prejudice jurors. In its request, Teva noted that the Gaza war has made anything connected with Israel highly controversial, with emotions running high.
Under the agreement, Humana's lawyers will not make references in arguments or questioning to the fact that Teva is an Israeli company. However, the deal does not prevent Humana from introducing documents at trial, even if those documents reveal Teva's Israeli identity.
Teva has denied the allegations, which are directed at its US-based subsidiary. The company maintains that it did not conspire to keep drug prices artificially high. Neither Humana nor Teva immediately responded to requests for comment on the filing.