Posted by Michael Wonder on 15 May 2017
European Commission opens formal investigation into Aspen Pharma's pricing practices for cancer medicines
15 May 2017 - The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into concerns that Aspen Pharma has engaged in excessive pricing concerning five life-saving cancer medicines.
The Commission will investigate whether Aspen has abused a dominant market position in breach of EU antitrust rules.
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "When we get sick, we may depend on specific drugs to save or prolong our lives. Companies should be rewarded for producing these pharmaceuticals to ensure that they keep making them into the future. But when the price of a drug suddenly goes up by several hundred percent, this is something the Commission may look at. More specifically, in this case we will be assessing whether Aspen is breaking EU competition rules by charging excessive prices for a number of medicines."
