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Anticancer drug prices reduced by up to 80%, Antitrust investigates compliance by Aspen


PRESS RELEASE


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On 13 June 2018, the Italian Antitrust Authority closed the proceedings launched to verify Aspen’s compliance with its decision of 29 September 2016.

As a result of the Authority’s investigation, the prices of some anticancer drugs distributed in Italy by Aspen decreased by as much as 82%.

On 29 September 2016, the Authority found that some companies of the Aspen Group (Aspen Pharma Trading Ltd., Aspen Italia s.r.l., Aspen Pharma Ireland Ltd., Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd.) abused their dominant position by pressuring AIFA, the pharmaceutical regulator, into accepting excessively high prices for the following anticancer drugs: Leukeran (2 mg - 25 tablets), Alkeran (50 mg/10 mg powder and solvent for injectable solution - 1 bottle), Alkeran (2 mg - 25 tablets), Purinethol (50 mg - 25 tablets), Tioguanine (40 mg - 25 tablets). With the same decision, the Aspen Group was also fined approximately 5 million euro. Immediately after the decision by the Italian Authority, the European Commission also launched an investigation (still pending) against the Aspen Group, with regard to the same conduct in other EU countries.

During the compliance proceedings, , in April 2018 Aspen and AIFA eventually reached a new agreement defining the prices of anticancer drugs, thus concluding the lengthy negotiations entered after the 2016 decision. As the agreed prices are defined on the basis of the applicable regulation and are meant to be applied retroactively since the date when the abuse was found, the Authority is now satisfied that Aspen complied with the 2016 decision, and has therefore decided to close the pending proceedings.

Rome, 5 July 2018