The Lazio regional
administrative court on Tuesday upheld an anti-trust fine of 180
million euros against two major international pharmaceutical
manufacturers, Novartis and Roche.
The court, known as TAR, dismissed appeals from the two
Swiss-based companies which were accused of market manipulation
in the sales of eye medication.
The companies were alleged to have colluded to hamper use
of a cheap eye drug in favour of a more expensive one.
The alleged cartel promoting Novartis's Lucentis over
Roche's Avastin is believed to have cost Italy's national health
service over 45 million euros in 2012 alone, while future costs
could potentially have reached 600 million euros a year.
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