(see related) Prosecutors in Siena
in charge of a suspected fraud case at Swiss multinational
Novartis believe that its vaccine division swindled the Italian
health ministry out of 2.7 million euros in 2012 by inflating
the price of a component of its H1N1 swine flu vaccine,
investigators said Friday.
The health ministry ordered the suspension of vaccine
supplies in 2010 after the swine flu emergency abated.
A vaccination campaign to immunize up to 40% of Italy's 60
million people began in November 2009 after Italy reported six
deaths related to swine flu over the previous months.
The CEO of Novartis's vaccine division, Francesco Gulli, is
under investigation and two Italian plants of the Swiss
multinational were searched Friday.
Prosecutors have also accused the multinational's division
Novartis Vaccines Diagnostics of failing to adopt precautions to
prevent the suspected fraud.
The probe is connected to another investigation in Siena
over a suspected tax fraud at the company.
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