An Australian-owned company has been fined almost $2 million for criminal cartel conduct over the supply of a major pharmaceutical drug.
Alkaloids of Australia Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Federal Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty in November 2021 to three charges including price fixing, bid rigging, and cartel arrangements over the production and supply of the drug hyoscine, also known as scopolamine.
The drug is highly sought after for its use in over-the-counter motion sickness and stomach pain medications and is found in Duboisia shrubs, grown around Kingaroy in Queensland's South Burnett.
