Consolidated to help drugs firm Napp fight OFT ruling

Drugs company Napp Pharmaceuticals has drafted in Consolidated

Communications (CCM) to help its appeal against a landmark competition

ruling.

Under-fire Napp is the first company to fall foul of new rules designed

to halt the abuse of market domination.

The Office of Fair Trading brought a case in which the

Cambridgeshire-based company was fined pounds 3.2m for supplying a

cancer treatment, MST, at excessively high prices. Napp is seeking to

appeal and will take its case to the High Court.

CCM replaces Napp's incumbent PR firm, Ruder Finn, which also pitched

for the work.

The agency will handle all media, develop litigation support and PA in

advance of the appeal. PA director Ed Vaizey leads a five-strong team,

reporting to Napp marketing head Clive Jones.

The OFT found that Napp had offered discounts to hospitals to gain

dominance in the market, including the larger business of supplying the

drug to patients in the community through GPs.

The company has been ordered to reduce the price of MST to community

patients, which the OFT says could save the NHS pounds 2m a year.