Italian watchdog says Novartis, Roche colluded over eye drug

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Italian watchdog says Novartis, Roche colluded over eye drug

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/italian-watchdog-says-novartis-roche-colluded-over-eye-205755402--finance.html"><img src="http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Q_lvtXK_1WytxVFltibVOQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-03-05T205755Z_1_CBREA241M8L00_RTROPTP_2_NOVARTIS-RESULTS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Logo of Swiss drugmaker Novartis is seen at its headquarters in Basel" align="left" title="Logo of Swiss drugmaker Novartis is seen at its headquarters in Basel" border="0" /></a>By Katharina Bart and Silvia Aloisi ZURICH/MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's antitrust authorities said Swiss drugmakers Novartis and Roche colluded to try to stop cancer drug Avastin being used to treat a serious eye disease, and fined the companies 182.5 million euros ($251 million). In a statement on Wednesday, Italy's regulator accused the two Basel-based firms of striking an alliance to prevent distribution of Roche's Avastin as a treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in favor of the more expensive drug Lucentis made by Novartis. It fined Novartis 92 million euros ($126.4 million) and Roche 90.5 million euros.</p><br clear="all"/>

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