Unichem Labs gets €19.5-million demand notice from European Commission in patent dispute case

Unichem Laboratories Ltd said on Thursday (Sept 18) it has received a demand notice from the European Commission seeking payment of €19.49 million (about ₹175 crore) in connection with the perindopril drug case.The notice, received on September 17, includes a principal penalty of €13.97 million and accrued interest of €5.52 million. The company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Niche Generics Ltd, has already remitted €2.79 million in instalments, leaving a balance of €16.70 million payable.

The case pertains to allegations that Unichem and its subsidiary breached EU competition law by settling a patent dispute over the blood pressure drug perindopril with France’s Servier Group in 2005. The order in the matter was earlier communicated to the stock exchanges in June 2024.

Unichem said it had already made provisions for the principal penalty in its books, but will now need to account for the additional interest liability of €5.52 million in FY26. The company added that it is evaluating legal options in consultation with its law firm.The shares of the company ended 0.3% in the green in the session on Thursday, September 18. The stock has fallen close to 31% in 2025 so far.

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