South Africa: Pfizer, Roche and Aspen face probe into drug prices

South Africa’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into three drug companies accused of over-charging for cancer medicines, the agency’s chief said on Tuesday.

Tembinkosi Bonakele, head of the Competition Commission, said the agency would investigate Aspen Pharmacare, Africa’s biggest generic drug maker, US company Pfizer and Swiss-based Roche Holding.

“Here we have a suspicion. We think that the reason is excessive pricing by the participants in the market. We have to investigate and bring people to book,” Bonakele told a news conference.

“The Competition Commission has identified the healthcare sector, and in particular, pharmaceuticals, as a priority sector for its enforcement efforts due to the likely negative impact that anti-competitive conduct in that sector would have on consumers in general and specifically the poor and vulnerable.”

The Commission, which investigates cases before bringing them to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication, said it suspected the lung cancer treatment xalkori crizotinib sold by Pfizer had been excessively priced, as has the breast cancer drugs Herceptin and Herclon sold by Roche.

It also said it would look into whether Aspen, a local company based in Durban, might have over-charged for Leukeran, Alkeran and Myleran cancer treatments in South Africa.

Full Content: Daily Mail

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