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Generics companies colluded to keep drug price high, says watchdog

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accused two UK generic drug companies of entering into an anti-competitive “pay for delay” agreement which may have cost the NHS an extra £2m (€2.3m; $2.7m) a year.

The CMA alleges in provisional findings, called a statement of objections (SO), that Auden McKenzie paid its rival Waymade to stay out of the market for 20 mg hydrocortisone pills for four years, leaving it the sole supplier.

From 2011 to 2015, the cost of a pack of 30 pills rose from £46 to £90 and NHS spending on hydrocortisone rose from £1.7m to £3.7m a year, the authority said.

“The CMA …