The Competition Council sanctioned five pharmaceutical companies supplying immunoglobulins and other human plasma-derived drugs, as well as the representative association of the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) (Belgium) with fines worth a total of 353.4 million lei (approximately 71 million euros).According to a press release sent on last Tuesday, the sanctioned companies are: Baxalta Gmbh, Switzerland - 109 million lei; CSL Behring Gmbh, Germany - 76.8 million lei; Biotest AG, Germany - 25.5 million lei; Kedrion Spa, Italy -16.1 million lei; Octapharma AG, Switzerland - 125.1 million lei; PPTA, Belgium: 375,521 lei.Following the investigations, launched in 2018, the competition authority found that, in the period 2015-2018, the five companies adopted a coordinated strategy, which aimed at limiting and even interrupting the supply to the Romanian market with immunoglobulins, in order to exert pressure on the authorities to suspend the clawback tax for medicines derived from human blood or human plasma. This way, the companies aimed to create a commercial advantage, namely the improvement of profit margins.The PPTA facilitated these anti-competitive practices and contributed through its own actions to the achievement of the common goal, thereby going beyond the scope of specific activities at the level of an association in order to influence the legislative process.Lack of access to immunoglobulins, as essential medicines for the treatment of multiple serious illnesses, has endangered the lives of patients and led authorities to take crisis measures to provide patients with the necessary medicines, by accessing the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which indicates, by default, the magnitude of the gravity of the situation generated on the national market.The decision of the Competition Authority, which will be published in a non-confidential manner on the institution's Website, can be appealed to the Bucharest Court of Appeal.
On Thursday, October 30, 2025, over 150 board members, executives, and thought leaders gathered at the InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest for the Future of Boards Awards Gala 2025, organized by Envisia, the first business school in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the professionalization of board members and governance leaders. The event recognized responsible leadership […]
STIRIXIS Group’s projects were awarded as the best in their category in Greece and were shortlisted for the European Awards of the International Property Awards 2025, to be presented in January. STIRIXIS Group, the Greek strategic design company with an international presence in 29 countries and more than 850 projects worldwide, was honored in London […]
Romanian studio Amber collaborated with Amazon Game Studios and Death Row Games on the development of Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg, an AI-animated video game in which the rap artist appears in the role of a judge, Startupcafe.ro reported. In the game, up to six participants can play using only mobile phones, which connect to […]
Germany will provide more than EUR 500,000 this year to support teachers working in German-language education across Romania, the German Embassy in Bucharest announced. Through the Embassy, Germany is funding the project “Support for Teachers in German-Language Education in Romania” with a total of EUR 505,000. The initiative aims to promote the German language as […]
The British journalist and film producer Charlie Ottley, who is behind the Wild Carpathia and Flavours of Romania series, has obtained Romanian citizenship and is set to take the oath of allegiance this week. The National Authority for Citizenship announced that the oath will be taken by several foreigners on November 6. “The solemnity of […]
Romanian police and prosecutors conducted more than 200 searches across the country as part of the larger Jupiter 4 operation on Tuesday, November 4. The searches concern offenses like fraud, forgery of documents, counterfeiting, tax evasion, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and abuse of office, among others. “The Jupiter operation contributes to strengthening the efforts of […]
