Teva's Israeli identity becomes a courtroom issue in U.S. price-fixing trial
Humana agreed not to refer to Teva as an Israeli company during arguments or questioning after the drugmaker raised concerns about potential jury bias.
Health insurer Humana has agreed not to refer to drugmaker Teva as an Israeli company during an upcoming U.S. trial over alleged generic drug price-fixing, after Teva argued that public sentiment surrounding the Gaza war could unfairly influence jurors.
Humana disclosed the agreement with Teva in a filing Wednesday night in federal court in Philadelphia, where Teva and several other major pharmaceutical companies are scheduled to stand trial next month over allegations that they conspired to inflate the prices of certain generic drugs.
The agreement underscores the increasingly contentious nature of the issue in the United States following Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel.
Humana and Teva did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, Tel Aviv-based Teva asked the judge overseeing the case to bar references during the trial to its national origin. The company argued that its Israeli ties are irrelevant to the antitrust proceedings in the United States and could prejudice jurors against it.
"In the period of almost three years since the start of the Gaza War, anything connected with Israel has been subject to the highest levels of controversy, with emotions running high," Teva said in its filing.
In its filing Wednesday, Humana said its lawyers "will not make references in argument or questioning relating to the fact that Teva is an Israeli company."
The agreement does not prevent Humana from introducing documents at trial simply because the fact that Teva is an Israeli company can be inferred from those documents.
Teva has denied Humana's allegations that it conspired with other drugmakers to keep the prices of certain drugs artificially high. The drugs at issue include the muscle relaxant baclofen and the blood pressure medication propranolol. The claims against Teva are directed at its U.S.-based subsidiary.
The price-fixing trial is scheduled to begin on September 15 and is expected to continue through late October.
