On Tuesday 30 September, the European Commission announced that it had carried out unannounced inspections on the premises of a company operating in the vaccines sector. This is part of a preliminary investigation into possible anti-competitive practices.
According to the Commission, which did not give the name of the company concerned, there are concerns about a possible breach of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which prohibits the abuse of a dominant position. The inspectors are examining whether the company resorted to exclusionary practices that may amount to “anticompetitive disparagement”.
These inspections, which in no way prejudge the guilt of companies, are intended solely to gather evidence. There is no precise timetable for concluding such investigations, as their duration depends on the complexity of the case and the cooperation of the parties involved.
Two investigations were concluded in 2024: - the Commission has imposed a penalty on the Israeli laboratory Teva (market in generic medicines for multiple sclerosis - see EUROPE 13516/5); - The Swiss company Vifor has been prosecuted for distributing misleading information about anaemia treatments (see EUROPE 13459/35). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)