Excessive pricing practice in the pharma market to be investigated by the Italian Competition Authority
Once again, the Italian Competition Authority (ICA) has opened an Article 102 TFEU investigation against a pharma firm into an alleged excessive pricing. This time, in Leadiant (Case A524, LeadiantBiosciences/Farmaco per la cura della Xanatosi Cerebrotendinea ), the ICA focused on the pricing of an orphan generics drug, Chenodeoxycholic Acid Leadiant (CAL). This drug, which contains the active principle of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), is produced by Leadiant Biosciences Ltd (LB) and used for the treatment of a very rare disease, CTX. In June 2017 LB applied to the Italian drug authority (AIFA) for a market authorization (MA) for the CAL. The procedure is still to be finalized because no agreement was reached as to the selling price of the drug. The price indicated by LB was considered too high by AIFA and then LB asked for the suspension of the negotiation. The ICA opened the antitrust investigation against LB following the receipt of a complaint filed by a consumer association.