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.
Ten non-governmental organizations in Romania have issued a joint letter criticizing the executive for the emergency ordinance adopted on Thursday, January 16, which provides sanctions, including a turnover tax, for social media giants that fail to obey rules regarding electoral ads. Another government measure under fire from the opposition limits voting in the diaspora according […]
Dacia, part of the French Renault group, will launch several electric models to compete with Chinese brands for the affordable EV car market in Europe. The first electric model will be the next Sandero, which will appear sometime at the end of 2027, the brand's director, Denis Le Vot, said on Thursday, according to Reuters. […]
Happy 2025, dear Insiders, may it be a good year! And let it start with classics, some universal, some underground. Italian director Federico Fellini is one of the biggest names in the history of the medium. To say he was very influential is an understatement. He has his own adjective (Fellini-esque) while scenes from his […]
Romanian national airline Tarom announced the establishment of a new company, Tarom Tehnic, dedicated to providing maintenance and repair services for civilian aircraft, specializing in Boeing, Airbus, and ATR models. The new company is expected to generate revenues of up to EUR 10 million in its first year of operation, according to estimates from the […]
Romania has been named the special guest country at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair, the Ministry of Culture announced. The event will coincide with the celebration of 120 years of Romanian-Egyptian diplomatic relations. According to the ministry, the news was shared by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Egypt's minister of culture, during a press conference […]
Bucharest has started implementing a special recycling project that directly benefits stray animals. In Tineretului, Floreasca, and Circului parks, eco-friendly vending machines have been installed to provide food and water for stray cats in exchange for recycling bottles and aluminum cans. “Street cats lead a hard life, especially in winter. Food is essential for their […]
