U.S. attorney general group sues 26 dermatology drug makers

REUTERS

A group of attorneys general from U.S. states and territories sued 26 manufacturers of dermatology drugs on Wednesday, accusing them of price fixing and other violations of antitrust law, the third such lawsuit since 2016.

This lawsuit focuses on 80 topical generic drugs, including creams, gels and ointments, which have billions in dollars of U.S. sales. It accuses Novartis unit Sandoz, Teva generic unit Actavis, Mylan Inc, Pfizer and other companies of breaking antitrust law by dividing up markets and rigging bids, according to statements from the attorneys general. read more »  

Amazon, Facebook and Google turn to deep network of political allies to battle back antitrust probes

WASHINGTON POST

Under the withering microscope of government watchdogs, tech giants including Amazon, Facebook and Google have funded a bevy of political groups that have helped push positive polling and engaged in other fingerprint-free tactics designed to deter regulators who are seeking to break up or penalize the industry. The approach reflects the growing threats they now face from the Justice Department and the country’s top attorneys general, who have been investigating them on antitrust grounds. read more »

Hong Kong businessman ends prison sentence in bribery scheme

AP NEWS

A prominent Hong Kong businessman has been freed after serving his three-year prison sentence for what prosecutors say were bribes paid to the presidents of two African countries.

Ho was convicted in December 2018 of paying bribes to the presidents of Chad and Uganda in a scheme to secure oil rights for an energy conglomerate known as CEFC China Energy. read more »