The Romanian Competition Council announced on Tuesday, February 15, that it has fined five pharmaceutical companies, suppliers of immunoglobulins and other drugs derived from human plasma, as well as the representative association of the sector of plasma protein therapy manufacturers - PPTA (Belgium) with amounts totalling RON 353.4 mln (EUR 71 mln), for coordinating actions on the market.

The fines were set following an investigation launched in 2018.

The companies are Baxalta Gmbh, Switzerland (RON 109 mln), CSL Behring Gmbh, Germany (RON 76 mln), Biotest AG, Germany (RON 25 mln), Kedrion Spa, Italy (RON 16 mln), and Octapharma AG, Switzerland (RON 125 mln). At the same time, PPTA, Belgium, will have to pay a fine of RON 375,521, News.ro reported.

Following the investigation launched in 2018, the competition authority found that, in the period 2015-2018, the five companies adopted a coordinated strategy, which aimed at limiting and even interrupting the supply of the Romanian market with immunoglobulins, in order to exercise pressure on the authorities to suspend the clawback tax on medicines derived from human blood or human plasma. In this way, the companies sought to create a commercial advantage, namely improving profit margins.

andrei@romania-insider.com

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