Swiss ventilator supplier decides to cooperate with FAS after filing a case

Representatives of Hamilton Medical AG, against which the FAS initiated a case, announced their intention to provide the department with all the necessary documents. The supplier of ventilators faces an administrative fine under Part 5 of Art. 11 of the Law on Protection of Competition (refusal to conclude contracts with certain sellers or buyers).

“Hamilton Medical AG always adheres to the principles of market competition and legal requirements. We are ready for dialogue and constructive cooperation, and as part of the investigation, we are ready to provide the FAS with all the necessary documents confirming our desire to comply with antitrust laws,” Julia Bale, corporate communications specialist at Hamilton Medical AG, told RBC.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service found signs of violations on the part of the company when participating in state and municipal procurement for the supply of equipment for lung ventilation. It was revealed that the company sent instructions to distributors to participate in state and municipal procurement. Because of this, competition between distributors was practically eliminated. The FAS believes that this led to "the division of the commodity market according to the territorial principle and the composition of buyers, as well as maintaining prices at the auction."

Ventilators manufactured by Hamilton Medical AG, among others, were delivered to hospitals in St. Petersburg in 2020.