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AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sanovel Among 17 Drugmakers Fined by Turkish Regulator

By  |  October 18, 2025

The Turkish Competition Authority announced on Friday that it has levied a total of ₺237.13 million ($5.6 million) in fines against 17 companies, primarily within the pharmaceutical industry, for breaching national competition regulations.

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    According to a statement from the authority, the investigation revealed that several companies had participated in anti-competitive behavior by entering into “no-poach” agreements—arrangements that restrict the hiring of each other’s employees—or by exchanging sensitive information about future wages and benefits. These actions, the authority said, violated the Law on the Protection of Competition, which bans practices that could distort fair market conditions.

    Per a statement released by the Competition Board, the penalized firms included both international and domestic players. Among them were global pharmaceutical corporations such as AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi, Novartis, and Novo Nordisk, along with local producers including Sanovel, Santa Farma, and Ilko. Sanovel faced the highest fine of ₺79 million ($1.88 million), while Pfizer was ordered to pay ₺20 million ($476,746). Novartis and Novo Nordisk each received ₺19 million fines, followed by Santa Farma at ₺17 million. AstraZeneca, Ilko, and Sanofi were fined ₺15 million, ₺13 million, and ₺12 million respectively. Smaller penalties were issued to other companies such as Adeka, Amgen, Arven, Berko, and Servier.

    Read more: Sanofi, Lilly, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca Must Face Price-Fixing Suit, Court Rules

    According to the authority’s findings, some of the sanctioned companies had interfered with fair competition in the labor market by agreeing not to hire each other’s employees, while others were found to have coordinated future salary and benefit information. The agency stressed that these actions undermined healthy market dynamics and limited employee mobility, resulting in artificially restricted wage growth and hiring opportunities.

    Per a statement from the Competition Authority, these penalties reflect part of a broader campaign to combat anti-competitive behavior within Türkiye’s pharmaceutical industry, one of the most regulated sectors in the economy.

    Source: Turkidey Today