Vital Hydrocortisone tablets at the centre of suspected excessive and unfair pricing to the NHS
First published by Admin on March 09, 2018 in the following categories: Price Hikes and tagged with nhs | overpriced medication
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are investigating price-hikes of vital hydrocortisone tablets on the basis that they suspect they are being excessively inflated.
Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited and Accord Healthcare Limited, which acquired Actavis UK in January 2017, are at the centre of the CMA’s investigations. The suspicion is breaches of competition laws through unfair prices over the supply of hydrocortisone tablets in the UK to the NHS.
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A little about competition law…
First published by Admin on March 02, 2018 in the following categories: Latest and tagged with competition law
Competition law allows for fair competition to be maintained between companies and prevents companies taking part in anti-competitive behaviour.
The UK is governed by UK and EU competition laws, and if it’s found that a company has engaged in anti-competitive behaviour, there can be serious consequences. The two common ways in which competition law can be breached is: engaging in anti-competitive agreements; abuse of a dominant market position.
Both can lead to fines for offending companies.
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A review of the construction recruitment agencies competition investigation
First published by Admin on February 23, 2018 in the following categories: Investigations and tagged with cartels | price fixing
Six construction recruitment agencies were found to be in breach of the Competition Act 1998 between 2004 and 2006 by creating a cartel in order to boycott another company, Parc UK, and fix the fee rates they would charge other construction companies as well.
The six companies reportedly met on five occasions where they agreed to not use Parc, who were a mediator between recruitment agencies and constructions companies. Parc was apparently putting pressure on the margins of the six construction recruitment agencies involved.
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Multiple shipping companies admit to price-fixing agreements for their services
First published by Admin on February 16, 2018 in the following categories: Industry and tagged with price fixing | shipping
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has pleaded guilty to price-fixing and was ordered to pay almost £70 million for breaching competition laws.
Three other companies have reportedly followed WWL’s footsteps and have also pleaded guilty.
Several former and current executives for WWL have been indicted on charges of anti-competitive behaviour over accusations of price-fixing for some of its international ocean shipping. Former executives were apparently charged in November 2016 along with a current executive as well.
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CMA provides updated reports on investigations into the care home sector
First published by Admin on February 09, 2018 in the following categories: Investigations and tagged with cma | elderly homes
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a couple of reports concerning their investigations into the care home market in the U.K. The first is a final report on the general market, and looks at how elderly and vulnerable residents are being treated. The second consists of an order to stop care homes from overcharging families in upfront costs, fees and continuing to charge families when the resident passes away.
The care home sector has seen a fair amount of scrutiny in the past few years, and for good reason. These institutions take in the elderly and vulnerable to provide them with a home and a sense of community with peers. These people are the most susceptible to harm as their physical and mental states deteriorate; relying on carers to look after them.
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CMA investigating pharmaceutical sector for alleged excessive and unfair pricing over liothyronine tablets
First published by Admin on February 02, 2018 in the following categories: Investigations and tagged with cma | price fixing
After a year of making its preliminary probes, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has decided that there are substantive grounds and evidence to continue investigations into the pharmaceutical sector for allegedly charging excessive and unfair prices for liothyronine tablets.
Liothyronine tablets are used to treat hypothyroidism. Without enough thyroid hormones, our bodies’ metabolism slows down, making us feel tired, depressed and cold, all the while putting the pounds on. Liothyronine isn’t the main drug used to treat hypothyroidism but a lot of people are not suited to the primary drug and can only take liothyronine.
The suspected players in the market may be distorting competition for the thyroid hormone drugs
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Competition and Markets Authority determines TalkTalk and CityFibre appeals over BT leased lines
First published by Admin on January 26, 2018 in the following categories: Latest and tagged with cma
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has made a determination after TalkTalk and CityFibre have allegedly been overcharged for BT leased lines.
Leased lines are “high quality, dedicated, point-to-point data transmissions services” for essential communication services. BT leases out these lines to other telecommunication provides like TalkTalk and CityFibre, but the control they have other the prices has been disputed by the two users.
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A brief overview of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle dealers’ competition investigation
First published by Admin on January 19, 2018 in the following categories: Investigations and tagged with cartels
In June 2010 The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) launched an investigation into Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle dealers based on suspicions that the Competition Act 1998 had been breached.
Almost three years later the OFT found that Mercedes-Benz and five of its commercial dealers had in fact breached the Competition Act, and were fined for engaging in illegal cartel activity.
The OFT found that, out of the five dealers, two agreed to include substantial margins when quoting customers as well as another two agreeing not to trade with customers in each other’s area.
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CMA has found evidence of cartel arrangements in the supply of precast concrete drainage products
First published by Admin on January 12, 2018 in the following categories: Investigations and tagged with cartels | cma
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be going ahead with their investigations into the supply of precast concrete drainage products industry over suspicions of cartel behaviour after reportedly finding enough evidence from their initial probes.
The case was opened on 15 April 2016 and the CMA has spent over a year obtaining vital information for analysis and review. The competition watchdog’s preliminary investigations have apparently proved fruitful as it announces its intention to continue the probes.
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The 2013 access and alarm systems competition breach in retirement homes
First published by Admin on January 05, 2018 in the following categories: Investigations and tagged with cover pricing | elderly homes
Retirement homes and care homes have been at the centre of competition breaches several times. The 2013 access and alarm systems case was a notable one…
In 2013, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) fined four U.K. suppliers of access and alarms systems who had taken part in anti-competitive behaviour when supplying services to retirement homes.
The four companies were fined over £50,000.00 after an investigation that started in 2011.
The Office of Fair Trading investigated the behaviour of the four companies during a four-year period between 2005 and 2009. They found that all four companies had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour across this period.
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