UK Court Upholds £99M Fine on Advanz Pharma for Thyroid Drug Pricing

The UK Court of Appeal has upheld the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) fines against Advanz Pharma and private equity firms Cinven and HgCapital for excessive and unfair pricing of the essential thyroid drug liothyronine. The court confirmed a £99 million fine for Advanz Pharma and reinstated a £51.9 million penalty on Cinven, rejecting their appeals. The CMA found that between 2009 and 2017, Advanz increased the price of liothyronine tablets by over 1,110%, causing NHS spending on the drug to soar from £2.3 million to over £30 million annually, without corresponding increases in production costs or innovation. HgCapital accepted its £6.2 million fine without further appeal. This ruling marks a significant enforcement victory for the CMA in its efforts to combat anticompetitive practices in drug pricing and protect the NHS from unfair pricing. The decision underscores the regulator's resolve to hold companies accountable for unjustified price hikes on essential medicines.