By Adrian Emch & Jiaming Zhang –
August 1, 2016 marks the eighth anniversary of the entry into effect of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law (“AML”). Enforcement of the law has gone through various phases, with the peak – at least in terms of press coverage – during 2014, culminating in the Qualcomm decision by the National Development and Reform Commission in February 2015.
Since the 2015 Qualcomm decision, Chinese antitrust enforcement has been less headline-grabbing and, generally speaking, lower profile. However, in the past months, press reports have picked up again, as some sectors have been publicly identified as targets for antitrust enforcement action. One of these sectors is life sciences, in particular pharmaceuticals. This article examines recent pharmaceuticals antitrust cases in China.
