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 The drugmaker disclosed the subpoenas in a statement on Wednesday
after ICU Medical Inc, which recently acquired Pfizer's global
infusion therapy business, and Baxter International Inc said they
received similar subpoenas.
ICU Medical said the probe related to Hospira Infusion Systems,
which it purchased in February from Pfizer, which in turn acquired
it in a merger with Hospira Inc in 2015.
"Pfizer can confirm that it has received grand jury subpoenas in
connection with an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice,
Antitrust Division and we are evaluating the requests," Pfizer said.
A Pfizer spokeswoman said the probe related to intravenous saline
solutions. The Justice Department declined to comment.
The probe comes amid a shortage of intravenous saline solutions
commonly used to hydrate hospital patients that dates back to late
2013, when drug companies began notifying hospitals that they might
experience delivery delays.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2014 added the
solutions to its drug shortage list, at the time saying the shortage
was triggered by factors including increased hospital demand,
potentially related to the flu season.
In 2015, a bipartisan group of four U.S. senators asked the Federal
Trade Commission to probe three companies they said supplied all the
saline solution used in the United States, Baxter, Hospira and B.
Braun.
They said that since the shortage began, prices had risen 200
percent to 300 percent.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, one of the
four senators, on Wednesday called the Justice Department's probe
"an important step toward getting to the bottom of any possible
illegal collusion by saline solution manufacturers."
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On Friday, Baxter said one of its employees received a grand jury
subpoena issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania. ICU Medical on Tuesday said it received a similar
subpoena.
ICU Medical and Baxter said the subpoenas sought documents and
testimony about the manufacturing, selling, pricing and shortages of
intravenous solutions, including saline, and communications with
competitors.
Baxter and ICU Medical have said they are cooperating with the probe
and that they have also received information requests from New York
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Baxter and Hospira also face a proposed class action lawsuit
accusing them of conspiring to fix prices for intravenous saline
solution.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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