Drugmaker Alchem Hit With $576,000 European Union Fine for Taking Part in Pharmaceutical Cartel

This case relates to collusion over the price of an active ingredient used to make Buscopan, an abdominal antispasmodic drug, and its generics. The broader investigation, concluded in 2023, imposed €13.4 million ($15.7 million) in fines on other companies including Alkaloids of Australia, Alkaloids Corp, Boehringer, Linnea, and Transo-Pharm, which admitted to fixing minimum prices and accepted reduced penalties by settling.

Alchem, however, chose not to settle and was found to have illegally coordinated prices and allocated production quotas for over 12 years. EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera emphasized that Alchem’s refusal to cooperate meant it faced a separate penalty for its role in the cartel.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that the EU – also known as the Brussels EU – is actually serious about fighting the criminal behavior of the drug industry. In reality, the EU functions as the global politburo for the pharmaceutical ‘business with disease’ – one of the greatest organized frauds in human history. The entire existence of this industry is built on the maintenance, expansion, and invention of diseases as markets for patented chemical drugs. With the European pharmaceutical market expected to reach over €367 billion ($430 billion) by the end of 2028, the fines dished out to Alkaloids of Australia, Alkaloids Corp, Boehringer, Linnea, Transo-Pharm, and Alchem essentially amount to a minor ‘slap on the wrist.’

To read about the hidden history of the pharma industry, see this page on our website.