GSK Accuses Boehringer Ingelheim of Lying About Its COPD Inhalers

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) hit Boehringer Ingelheim with a lawsuit in a Pennsylvania federal court accusing it of false advertising over its dry powder inhalers Ellipta and Diskus for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

GSK accused BI of running a promotional campaign to healthcare providers for its competing product Respimat that “falsely and misleadingly downplays the efficacy of the drug delivery” achieved by GSK’s inhalers.

The lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania alleges that, in September 2018, GSK reached out to its competitor demanding that it cease using a brochure which claimed that a majority of COPD patients would be unable to fully benefit from Ellipta and Diskus.