• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

MassDevice

The Medical Device Business Journal — Medical Device News & Articles | MassDevice

  • Latest News
  • Technologies
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Cardiovascular
    • Orthopedics
    • Neurological
    • Diabetes
    • Surgical Robotics
  • Business & Finance
    • Wall Street Beat
    • Earnings Reports
    • Funding Roundup
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Initial Public Offering (IPO)
    • Legal News
    • Personnel Moves
    • Medtech 100 Stock Index
  • Regulatory & Compliance
    • Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
    • Recalls
    • 510(k)
    • Pre-Market Approval (PMA)
    • MDSAP
    • Clinical Trials
  • Special Content
    • Special Reports
    • In-Depth Coverage
    • DeviceTalks
  • Podcasts
    • MassDevice Fast Five
    • DeviceTalks Weekly
    • OEM Talks
      • AbbottTalks
      • Boston ScientificTalks
      • DeviceTalks AI
      • IntuitiveTalks
      • MedtechWOMEN Talks
      • MedtronicTalks
      • Neuro Innovation Talks
      • Ortho Innovation Talks
      • Structural Heart Talks
      • StrykerTalks
  • Resources
    • About MassDevice
    • DeviceTalks
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Leadership in Medtech
    • Manufacturers & Suppliers Search
    • MedTech100 Index
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
Home » Diabetes: UniStrip levels anti-trust charges against Johnson & Johnson’s LifeScan

Diabetes: UniStrip levels anti-trust charges against Johnson & Johnson’s LifeScan

July 9, 2014 By Brad Perriello

Diabetes: UniStrip levels anti-trust charges against Johnson & Johnson's LifeScan

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) subsidiary LifeScan is orchestrating a campaign to monopolize the market for test strips used with its blood glucose meters, according to a lawsuit filed last week by test strip rival UniStrip.

The lawsuit alleges that LifeScan sought to induce a boycott of UniStrip’s lower-cost test strips by coercing distributors to use the LifeScan strips, set up a discount program designed to encourage the exclusive use of LifeScan strips and filed a sham patent infringement lawsuit against UniStrip, according to court documents.

UniStrip, which won 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its competing test strips in November 2013, introduced its product into the U.S. market early this year, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for Central California. LifeScan enjoys a 40% share of the overall test strip market and a 100% share of the market for LifeScan’s OneTouch Ultra, Ultra2, UltraSmart and UltraMini blood glucose meters, the lawsuit claims. UniStrip said its test strips cost about a 10th of the price of LifeScan’s strips, which run roughly $60 for 50 strips.

"To thwart UniStrip’s lower priced competition, defendant LifeScan has engaged in a campaign that consists of at least the following anticompetitive and monopolistic acts: (a) coercively induced a group boycott of UniStrip’s test strips; (b) conditioned the payment or allowance of discounts, rebates and/or other incentives provided to actual and potential customers of LifeScan test strips on an agreement or understanding not to purchase or distribute UniStrip test strips; and (c) filed a bad faith patent infringement lawsuit against UniStrip based on one patent which has been judicially declared unenforceable and a separate patent which LifeScan knows UniStrip does not infringe," according to the complaint. "This multi-faceted anticompetitive scheme has been adopted and implemented for the purpose of depriving consumers of the opportunity or alternative of purchasing competitive, lower-priced, FDA-cleared test strips."

The lawsuit seeks judgments against LifeScan for restraint of trade, monopolization attempts, violations of the Clayton Act, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and actual contractual relationships, damages, triple damages for federal antitrust violations, punitive or exemplary damages, legal costs and injunctions against the alleged "anticompetetive, predatory and/or exclusionary conduct" by LifeScan, according to the documents.

Filed Under: Legal News, News Well Tagged With: Anti-Trust, Johnson and Johnson, LifeScan Inc., UniStrip

More recent news

  • Breaking: Sequel to launch twiist automated insulin delivery system next month
  • Dexcom shares U.S. report on CGM benefits for type 2 diabetes
  • Data backs Medtronic MiniMed 780G for type 2, children as company seeks expanded indications
  • Endogenex data supports type 2 diabetes procedure
  • Ambu wins FDA clearance for first single-use cysto-nephroscope

Primary Sidebar

“md
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest med device regulatory, business and technology news.

DeviceTalks Weekly

See More >

MEDTECH 100 Stock INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
MDO ad

Footer

MASSDEVICE MEDICAL NETWORK

DeviceTalks
Drug Delivery Business News
Medical Design & Outsourcing
Medical Tubing + Extrusion
Drug Discovery & Development
Pharmaceutical Processing World
MedTech 100 Index
R&D World
Medical Design Sourcing

DeviceTalks Webinars, Podcasts, & Discussions

Attend our Monthly Webinars
Listen to our Weekly Podcasts
Join our DeviceTalks Tuesdays Discussion

MASSDEVICE

Subscribe to MassDevice E-Newsletter
Advertise with us
About
Contact us

Copyright © 2025 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy