Stockholm, Sweden – February 18, 2025 – The Swedish Competition Authority has concluded its investigation into allegations of price coordination among pharmaceutical companies selling prescription medicines. The investigation found no evidence of anti-competitive behavior, leading to the case’s closure.
The inquiry was launched following a tip from the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV), which suspected that companies had collaborated to manipulate the pricing of generic medicines within TLV’s product-of-the-period system. This system is designed to ensure that patients and the public do not pay excessive prices for prescription drugs by facilitating generic substitution at competitive rates.
Concerns were raised that pharmaceutical firms might have taken turns designating their products as the product of the period through prearranged pricing agreements, potentially keeping prices artificially high. If proven, such practices would have constituted an unauthorized cartel-like arrangement restricting competition.
After extensive analysis, the Swedish Competition Authority found no direct or indirect evidence of collusion or coordinated pricing behavior. As a result, the investigation has been formally closed.
Throughout the inquiry, the Competition Authority maintained communication with TLV and has pledged to continue discussions on optimizing the design of the product-of-the-period system to uphold fair competition in the pharmaceutical sector.
