UK’s CMA Fines Pfizer and Flynn Pharma More Than $83 Million Over Unfair Drug Prices

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined Pfizer and Flynn Pharma more than $83 million for charging the National Health Service (NHS) unfairly high prices for phenytoin sodium capsules for over four years.

The CMA said the epilepsy drug formerly known as Epanuti was debranded so it was no longer subject to price regulation. Pfizer allegedly increased the price between 780 percent and 1,600 percent and supplied them to Flynn Pharma, which then sold them at a price between 2,300 percent and 2,600 percent higher.

Legal proceedings between the CMA, Pfizer and Flynn Pharma have been ongoing for several years. Both companies challenged the findings of CMA’s original investigation in 2016 which concluded they broke competition law.