New criminal cartel charges laid

Criminal cartel charges have been laid against pharmaceutical ingredient company, Alkaloids of Australia Pty Ltd, and its former export manager, Christopher Kenneth Joyce. Each have been charged with 33 criminal offences.

The ACCC alleges Alkaloids of Australia and overseas suppliers of the ingredient SNBB (hyoscine butylbromide) ‘made and gave effect to arrangements to fix prices, restrict supply, allocate customers and/or geographical markets, and/or to rig bids for the supply of SNBB to international manufacturers of generic antispasmodic medications’ over a period of almost 10 years.

The matter will be prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and is listed in the Downing Centre Local Court on 19 January 2021.

See ACCC media release.