Italian Antitrust Body Fines Bayer Subsidiary For Failing to Share Data on Fungicide

ROME—Italian antitrust authorities have fined biotechnology company Bayer CropScience €5.1 million ($7.2 million) after finding that the company abused its dominant position by thwarting a competitor’s request for data-sharing.

Experts said the finding could set a precedent for the way Italy requires agrochemical companies to share information.

The Autorita Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato ruled Sept. 7 on a complaint by Portuguese rival Sapec Agro SA, which said Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer AG, illegally refused to allow it to study data on the fungicide fosetyl-aluminium.

Sapec Agro alleged that Bayer imposed excessive ...