Pakistan, July 4 -- United Distributors Pakistan Ltd (UDPL) and International Brands Ltd (IBL) are considering legal options after the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) imposed a Rs42 million penalty. The fine was linked to a non-compete agreement between the two firms, which the CCP declared anti-competitive and illegal under Section 4 of the Competition Act, 2010.

The CCP said the agreement restricted market access and harmed fair competition in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical sectors. UDPL and IBL were fined Rs20 million each for entering into this market-sharing deal. An additional Rs1 million fine was slapped on UDPL for disclosing the agreement to the stock exchange without prior regulatory approval.

UDPL, a major playe...