Aspen Pharmacare to pay £8 million after colluding to rip off NHS
pharmafile | August 14, 2019 | News story | Research and Development | Addison's disease, Aspen Pharmacare, CMA, NHS, pharma
South African firm Aspen Pharmacare has agreed to pay £8 million to Britain’s NHS over a dispute about overpayment.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the settlement follows an investigation into collusion between Aspen and rival firms to keep competitors to its Fludrocortisone 0.1 mg tablets off the market.
Aspen’s Fludrocortisone tablets are used to treat Addison’s disease, a rare hormonal disorder which affects the adrenal glands.
Aspen may also have to pay an additional £2.1 million in fines as part of a wider package, if the investigation concludes that the company broke the law. The CMA is also investigating the two other companies involved in the collusion.
Andrea Coscelli, the CMA’s chief executive, commented in suggesting it was “unacceptable for the NHS – and the taxpayers who fund it – to have to pay millions of pounds more than they should for this life-saving drug.”
Louis Goss
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