The Competition Council has fined pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim RCV Gmbh & Co KG (Austria) with 128.470 million RON (25.81 million euros) for abuse of a dominant position on the Romanian market of medicines intended for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a press release.The competition authority found that, over 2017-2021, Boehringer Ingelheim RCV Gmbh & Co KG limited market access to the generic medicine Spiriva (cheaper) and directed patients to Spiolto Respimat, an innovative, more complex and more expensive medicine.According to the Therapeutic Guide in force at that time and the national protocol, not all patients affected by COPD have a more complex medicine as their first treatment option (dual therapy), some of them having the medicine Spiriva and implicitly its generic versions (monotherapy) as their initial indication.Boehringer Ingelheim RCV Gmbh & Co KG has carried out an intensive communication and promotion strategy to influence doctors' decisions so that they will prescribe the drug Spiolto Respimat more widely.In this way, the company intended to make it more difficult to sell competing generic drugs similar to Spiriva and to direct the revenues generated by this product to the new drug Spiolto Respimat.Both drugs are reimbursed 50% by the Health Insurance House, the difference being paid by patients.The clues that were the basis for triggering the investigation also included information received on the Competition Whistleblower Platform, a tool through which violations of the Competition Law can be brought to the attention of the authority, anonymously. The platform can be accessed at https://report.whistleb.com/ro/consiliulconcurentei.
The opposition filed a no-confidence motion on Friday, December 5, against prime minister Ilie Bolojan’s government, accusing it of failing to manage key sectors and calling for its immediate resignation, Agerpres reported. The motion, titled “Romania Is Not for Sale – No Progressives in Government,” was...
Romania’s Chamber of Deputies adopted an emergency ordinance on Wednesday, December 3, regulating the right to drive motor vehicles on public roads for persons who hold a driving license issued by a state that is not a member of the European Union. The normative act creates the legal premises for granting the right to drive […]
Romania’s modern retail market has surpassed 5 million square metres of leasable space for the first time, following the delivery of roughly 190,000 sqm in 2025, according to new data released by Colliers. Despite the milestone, consultants noted that Romania still trails regional peers in retail space per capita, signalling strong potential for further development. […]
Environment minister Diana Buzoianu said during an interview on Thursday, December 4, that she will not resign following the interruption of the drinking water supply in several localities in Prahova and Dâmboviţa counties, which has been affecting over 100,000 people, as well as hospitals and schools. She argued that the ministry she heads bears no […]
Romanians are preparing to spend more this Christmas compared with last year, according to a new Raiffeisen Bank study conducted in partnership with research platform Appinio. The survey showed that 65% of respondents expect higher holiday expenses in 2025, while 26% anticipate spending similar amounts to 2024. Half of those surveyed allocate between 25% and […]
Romania’s Electric Castle was named ‘International Festival of the Year’ at the 20th edition of the UK Festival Awards. The Romanian event triumphed over major international contenders, including Afro Nation (Portugal), Beyond The Valley (Australia), Open’er Festival (Poland), Sziget Festival (Hungary), and Way Out West (Sweden),
