UK’s Antitrust Authority: Actavis Inflated Prices of Hydrocortisone Generics by 12,000%

UK’s antitrust agency has accused Actavis of breaching competition law by raising the price of generic hydrocortisone tablets for Addison’s disease by more than 12,000 percent since 2008.

Actavis inflated the price of 10 mg and 20 mg hydrocortisone tablets from the previous cost of the branded therapy, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said. As a result of the price hike, NHS England spent about $109 for a pack of 10 mg tablets in March, compared to about 87 cents in April 2008. A 20 mg pack cost NHS England about $127 this year, representing a nearly 9,500 percent increase from 2008, when it paid $1.33.

Teva, which acquired Actavis in October, plans to defend the company against the allegations, contending that CMA’s involvement in regulating generic prices “raises serious policy concerns.” Generics are not subject to price regulation in the UK.