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		</div><p>Drug firms Pfizer and Flynn Pharma have been fined nearly £90m (€106m) for &#8220;excessive and unfair&#8221; pricing to the NHS after hiking the cost of an anti-epilepsy drug by up to 2,600% overnight.</p>
<p>The UK&#8217;s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said drug maker Pfizer and distributor Flynn Pharma broke competition law when they increased the cost of a medicine used by around 48,000 patients in the UK.</p>
<p>The watchdog said their moves saw the cost to the NHS of phenytoin sodium capsules rocket from around £2m (€2.3m) a year in 2012 to about £50m (€59m) in 2013 &#8211; far more than Pfizer was charging in any other European country.</p>
<p>Pfizer was handed a record £84.2m (€99.7m) fine, while Flynn Pharma was fined £5.2m (€6.1m).</p>
<p>The CMA has also ordered both firms to reduce their prices for the anti-epilepsy drug.</p>
<p>Pfizer rejected the findings and plans to appeal against the decision.<br />
It said its distribution rights deal with Flynn Pharma in September 2012 <i>&#8220;represented an opportunity to secure ongoing supply of an important medicine for patients with epilepsy&#8221;.</p>
<p>&#8220;In this transaction, and in all of our business operations, we approached this divestment with integrity, and believe it fully complies with established competition law,&#8221;</i> it said.</p>
<p>The group added the increased price of the drug was still 25% to 40% lower than the cost of an equivalent medicine by another supplier to the NHS.</p>
<p>Flynn Pharma said it will also appeal against the decision.</p>
<p>David Fakes, chief executive of Flynn Pharma, said: <i>&#8220;We believe that left unchallenged, the CMA&#8217;s decision today would stunt investment in generics, eventually leading to a reduction in supply and less choice for doctors and patients.</i></p>
<p><i>&#8220;It is a matter of common interest for us to appeal and see this decision overturned.&#8221;</i></p>
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