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.
In a world where remote, hybrid, or flexible work has become the norm, connections between colleagues outside the office are more important than ever. Recent studies show that these bonds boost performance, engagement, and employee loyalty, and companies that understand this are increasingly investing in shared experiences. It’s not just about fun; it’s an essential […]
Romanian far-right, pro-Russian member of the European Parliament Diana Șoșoacă was present in Moscow on October 19, where she participated in the 20th anniversary of the Russia Today television station, an event attended by president Vladimir Putin. The MEP’s presence in Moscow was announced by the party she leads, SOS Romania, and presented as a […]
The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has warned of a coordinated online disinformation campaign spreading false information about the recent explosion at the apartment building in Bucharest’s Rahova district, which killed three people and injured 15 others. In a statement released on Monday, October 20, SRI said that in recent days, numerous conspiracy...
The “Madrigal – Marin Constantin” National Chamber Choir will perform in Spain for the first time in 31 years as part of a special tour celebrating Romania’s National Day and the long-standing diplomatic ties between the two countries. Between November 24 and 30, under the direction of Anna Ungureanu, the choir will hold concerts in […]
Exim Banca Românească will organize, in the coming period, a series of meetings with representatives of the business communities in the main economic centres of the country, an initiative that is part of the Bank’s strategic endeavour to strengthen the partnership with the business environment and to gather relevant market perspectives, to underpin the development […]
Romanian Border Police have seized roughly 22 kilograms of cannabis at Bucharest’s Henri Coandă International Airport (Otopeni) after discovering the drugs in the checked luggage of a 35-year-old Albanian citizen arriving from Athens, Greece. According to the official statement, officers from the Bucharest Airports...
