Aspen to appeal Italian Competition Authority fine for alleged excessive price hikes

The Italian subsidiary of South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare has challenged the findings of the  Italian Competition Authority (ICA) of an alleged antitrust violation by Aspen and its related group companies.

It is important to note that drug prices in Europe are negotiated with the applicable price regulator in the country concerned. Italy is no exception. The finding relates to the price increases of four neoplastic blood diseases drugs approved in Italy in 2013. These drugs had not been subjected to any price increases in Italy for more than 50 years prior to the price increase in question. Reference to the percentage price increases is misleading given the exceptionally low base prices, the company stated.

Aspen says it is an active supporter of the Italian Health System through initiatives such as its undertaking to continue supplying the corticosteroid drug, Florinef, free of charge to allow access to a drug which is not registered in Italy.