German generic drugmaker Ratiopharm GmbH said Thursday its French unit was raided by European Union authorities as part of an antitrust probe.

The European Commission, the E.U.'s executive arm, announced earlier this week that it would conduct raids at several pharmaceutical companies as part of an investigation into whether brand-name drugmakers have made deals with their generic rivals to delay bringing cheaper generic drugs to market. However, the commission declined to name the targeted companies.

Ratiopharm spokesman Markus Braun said the company is cooperating with authorities. He declined to comment further.

French drug manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis (SAN.FR), Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. (TEVA), an Israeli generic drug maker, and Sandoz, the generics unit of Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis AG (NVS), also said their offices were visited.

Company Web site: www.ratiopharm.com

-By Frankfurt Bureau; +49 69 29725500