Pharma Winners and Losers: GlaxoSmithKline

Shares of major drug makers closed mixed Wednesday after European regulators announced they plan to step up investigations of whether the companies are delaying the launch of cheaper generic drugs.

The European Union said it plans to monitor settlement deals between major and generic pharmaceutical companies, including some that include payments to delay drug launches. It launched its investigation in January 2008.

According to EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, "Makers of original medicines are actively trying to delay the entry of generic medicines onto their markets."

In response, a trade group representing the industry, the EPPIA, said the EU has "nothing to substantiate these claims."

The group added regulators recognize that "complex and divergent regulatory barriers are the primary cause of market entry delay" because of the high costs of filing and defending separate national patents in the EU's 27 states.

Among the companies that the EU gathered evidence from are major U.S. and European pharmaceutical firms such as Pfizer (PFE Quote) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK Quote).

At the close, Pfizer shares added 2 cents to $14.61, GlaxoSmithKline gained 49 cents to $34.85 and shares of Sanofi-Aventis (SNY Quote) of France shed 6 cents to $29.44.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA Quote), one of the world's largest generic drug makers, declined 51 cents to $48.75.

Elsewhere, the broader markets declined, weighed down by a mixed economic outlook from the International Monetary Fund and falling commodity prices.