The Federal Antimonopoly service (FAS) opened a case against five medical companies suspected of anticompetitive agreements to maintain prices at auctions for the supply of cardiology products to medical institutions of Russia. It follows from the message published on the official website of the Department.
It opened against “Metrolife”, “Promezhutki”, “Medtorg”, “Infamed and Micromega”. According to the antitrust agencies, these companies worked together at least 357 auctions, which were held in 28 regions of the Federation in 2015-2017, and creating the appearance of competition, allowed the decrease of initial maximum price of the contract in the course of trading for not more than 3%.
“A potential cartel is one of the largest scale. The amount of initial maximum prices of contracts amounted to more than 2.5 billion rubles”, — stated in the message.
The head of the Department for combating cartels FAS Andrey Tesini explained that cartels hinder the access to quality health care, but also harm the interests of the state, because this government spend more money to purchase necessary medical devices.
Earlier, the Tenishev noted that the medicines and medical equipments are one of the “cartel” areas of public procurement. In the first three months of 2017, the antitrust agencies managed to identify 70 of collusion between manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and customers in this area.
RBC sent a request to OOO “Promezhutke”, “Invamed” and OOO “Mikromed”. As contact phone “Invalda and Micromega” enter the same room, but it the correspondent of RBC declined to specify how legally linked company. With representatives of open company “Medpoly” and OOO “Medtorg” could not be reached.
According to SPARK, LLC “Medpoly” specializiruetsya on the wholesale trade of pharmaceutical products, its CEO and co-owner Andrey Boronin. The last statements of the company in the database is dated 2015. Net assets, according to the report, amount to 20 thousand rubles. In 2016, the company participated in the 358 auctions for procurement and concluded that, at the end 173 of the contract for a total amount of 833,499 million rubles In 2017, “Medpoly” 171 conducted procurement procedures and signed a contract for 122 783,277 million rubles.
OOO “Promezhutke” (General Director Viktor Topol’s’ke), it follows from SPARK, is also engaged in wholesale trade in pharmaceuticals. The company’s net assets at the end of 2015, amount to 117 thousand rubles., net profit — 17 thousand rubles, and the proceeds from the sale — 43,714 million RUB in 2016, the company participated in 426 auctions and their results, signed 190 contracts in the amount of 1,270 billion.
The company “Mikromed” (General Director Nikolai sargin.) signed with the 2015 163 of the contract on public procurement for a total amount of 922,711 RUB mln Net profit of the company, according to SPARK, on 31 December 2015 was $ 87,933 in RUB million Net assets then estimated at 114,998 million rubles, while revenues from sales were equal 682,463 million RUB, the Company, as specified on the company, specializiruetsya in wholesale trading of machinery, equipment and tools used in medical purposes.
In the SPARK database listed at least eight companies “Medtorg”, registered in Moscow and specializing in the sale of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, and two OOO “Invamed”. As explained RBC in the FAS, the case was instituted against OOO “Medtorg”, whose Director General is a Muslim tasuiev. The main activity of this company is wholesale trade of pharmaceutical products. The authorized capital of the company on April 1 last year amounted to 10 thousand rubles. in 2016 she made 198 contacts totaling 1,114 billion.
Another defendant in the case was “Invamed” (CEO Ajay Bhardvadzh), dealing with wholesale trade of machinery, equipment and tools used in medical purposes. The net assets of the company, according to SPARK, at the end of 2015 amounted to 517,6 million rubles., net profit — 86,138 mln, while revenue from sales was estimated at 896,924 million rubles In the period from 2015 “Invamed” signed 75 contracts for public procurement. Their total amount, according to SPARK, is 357,701 million rubles.
The Antimonopoly case was opened by the FAS at the request of the Fund of struggle against corruption, told RBC lawyer Fund Love Sable. “We were the Complainant in the case, sent a statement to the FAS, and that upon our application, the FAS has investigated and confirmed the facts that we found through the analysis of monitoring (we wrote that it’s the cartel). FAS agreed with our arguments and filed a case,” she said. As explained RBC in the Fund of struggle against corruption (FBK), all employees of the Foundation have identified three groups of companies that could violate the antitrust laws. The FAS was filed three statements (April 24), antitrust proceedings were instituted until one of them, said an employee of the FBC.
