The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Alchem International Pvt. Ltd. and its subsidiary, Alchem International (H.K.) Limited, suspecting their involvement in a cartel related to the pharmaceutical ingredient SNBB. The Commission alleges that Alchem may have colluded with competitors to fix prices, allocate quotas, and share sensitive information.

The cartel concerns SNBB, a crucial material for producing abdominal antispasmodic drugs like Buscopan and its generics. If found guilty, Alchem's actions would breach EU antitrust rules prohibiting anti-competitive practices such as price fixing and market sharing.

In a related case from October 2023, several companies were fined for their roles in the SNBB cartel, while one received leniency for cooperation. Alchem, however, was not part of the settlement decision, leading to the current investigation under the standard cartel procedure.

A Statement of Objections marks a formal stage in the Commission's antitrust investigations, allowing the accused parties to respond to the allegations. Following this, if sufficient evidence is found, the Commission can issue a decision imposing fines of up to 10% of a company's global turnover.

There is no set deadline for the completion of antitrust inquiries, with investigation durations varying based on factors like case complexity and cooperation levels. Interested parties can track updates on this case through the Commission's public case register under the reference number AT.40636.