ANTITRUST | The EC sanctioned a pharmaceutical company for participating in a cartel

On 4 July 2025, the European Commission fined Alchem International Pvt. Ltd. and its subsidiary (altoghether, “Alchem”) – a producer of an active pharmaceutical ingredients – for participating in a cartel having as its object the fixing of the minimum sales prices for Alchem’s customers (i.e. distributors and generic drug manufacturers), the allocation of quotas and the exchange of commercially sensitive information over a period of 12 years. Unlike other undertakings that had been investigated by the EC for participating in the same cartel, Alchem did not decide to engage in the settlement procedure. Instead, it followed the standard cartel procedure, which resulted in a fine being imposed in the amount of Euro 489 million.

Newsletter n. 109 – July 2025