FAS fined participants of a medicine cartel

The total administrative fined exceeded 36 million RUB

FAS found that “Jodas Expoim” Ltd., “Pharmacoppola” Pharmaceutical Company” Ltd. and “Satikom” Ltd. formed a cartel to maintain prices at tenders for supplying medicines and medical products for medical institutions (Clause 2 Part 1 Article 11 ofthe Federal Law “On Protection of Competition).

Cartel operated for over than three years in Moscow, the regions of Kursk, Orenburg, Tambov, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Penza, Saratov, Irkutsk, Leningrad and Stavropol, and the Republic of Udmurtia.

The respondents to the case took advantage of the leniency programme and admitted entering into an anticompetitive agreement. A person that is the first to report a cartel to FAS is relieved from administrative liability, those who were the second and the third to report – are imposed the minimum fines.

Head of FAS Anti-Cartel Department Andrey Tenishev stated: “Having investigated the antimonopoly cases, “Satikom” Ltd. is fined 16,162,079 RUB, “Jodas Expoim” Ltd. – 20,183,627 RUB. These are the minimum fines specified by the law. If the companies did not admit participation in the cartel and spotted unlawful operations, the fines would be higher by orders”.

“The leniency programme is an efficient tool to suppress cartels. For the violators it’s a change to avoid liability to minimize fines, and for FAS - an opportunity to promptly stop violations on the market, which is especially significant for such socially important sector as pharmaceuticals. Here cartels affect, in particular, the costs of drugs, so cartels must be stopped as soon as possible”, added Stats-Secretary, Deputy Head of FAS, Andrey Tsarikovskiy.