BUCHAREST (Romania), September 11 (SeeNews) – Romania's competition regulator said on Friday it has launched separate investigations of four drug makers and their distributors over suspected fostering of unfair competition by setting up cartel agreements.
The regulator said in a statement the four companies are: Bayer, part the Bayer Group and direct importer of the Bayer Consumer Care products in Romania; Baxter AG, part of Baxter Switzerland Group; Belupo Pharmaceutical & Cosmetics, the second largest pharmaceutical company in Croatia; and Romania’s Sintofarm.
"The pharmaceuticals sector is a priority for the Competition Council considering the existing malfunctions. That is why we will intervene whenever it is necessary to re-establish the competition on this market,” the council’s president, Bogdan Chiritoiu, said in the statement.
The regulator also said it could impose for each company a fine equal to up to 10% of the respective company's turnover.
In March last year the council fined local drug maker Eli Lilly Export and drug distributors A&A Medical, Relad Pharma and Mediplus Exim a total of 83.7 million lei ($29 million/20 million euro) over fostering unfair competition on the insulin market. Later in December it launched an investigation of the drug distribution market after two distributors' associations stopped drug supplies to pharmacies and hospitals.
The regulator also said it is carrying out a drug market research in a bid to identify and amend the existing problems.
(1 euro = 4.2578 Romanian lei)