Pfizer and two of its subsidiaries, Meridian Medical Technologies and King Pharmaceuticals, asked a federal court in Kansas City, Kan., to grant preliminary approval to a $345 million deal to settle allegations they hiked the price of EpiPens, NPR affiliate KCUR reported July 15.
The litigation began in 2016, when class-action lawsuits accusing the companies of engaging in EpiPen-related anticompetitive practices were filed across the U.S. The lawsuits were transferred to the Kansas City court because of its location in the center of the country.
A Pfizer spokesperson told KCUR the drugmaker "denies any wrongdoing and continues to believe its actions were appropriate."
"This resolution reflects a desire by the company to avoid the distraction of continued litigation and focus on breakthroughs that change patients' lives," the spokesperson said.
Pfizer manufactures EpiPens, but Mylan, which is also a defendant in the litigation, owns the rights to the brand. A district judge dismissed most of the claims against Mylan, but he allowed some antitrust claims against the drugmaker to proceed to trial, which is slated to start Sept. 7.