CMA finds drug companies overcharged NHS

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has fined pharmaceutical companies, including Auden McKenzie and Actavis UK (Accord-UK), £260m ($353m) over pricing of hydrocortisone tablets. The firms were found to have charged excessive prices for the vital medication and bribed rivals to avoid competition, costing NHS millions and leading to price increases of over 10,000%. The discoveries are among the “most serious abuses” identified by the CMA, highlighting “egregious breaches of the law.” The NHS can now seek damages.