Customer switching data is an important factor that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) considers when assessing the closeness of competition of merging parties. However, as the completed acquisition by Pharmacy2U Limited (Pharmacy2U) of Lloyds Direct demonstrates, switching data can also be determinative when it comes to market definition. Pharmacy2U is a Distance Selling Pharmacy … Continue Reading
Yet another UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) merger referral for in-depth investigation, this time in the healthcare sector confirming the CMA’s willingness “to ensure that the NHS does not pay significantly more than it should” for products/services.[1] The merging parties, Imprivata and Isosec, provide similar Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions that allow staff … Continue Reading
The UK Cabinet Office released a statement last Thursday 5th November 2020 that could provide some breathing space for the UK/EU pharmaceuticals sector during the Brexit transition, by indicating that a one year implementation period would apply to application of the protocol for certain matters. For the pharmaceuticals sector, these include batch testing, importation and … Continue Reading
The work of UK health and regulatory authorities has mainly been targeted on COVID-19 work over recent months but there has been an increasing focus on End of Transition work in recent week’s and given that the Brexit transition period ends at 11pm on 31st December 2020 (GMT). As part of this work, UK MHRA … Continue Reading
Last week the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its decision to fine Spire and 7 consultants ophthalmologists operating in its Macclesfield hospital for fixing “the level of the initial consultation fees charged by the Ophthalmologists at the Hospital” (para 3.34). This is a classic ‘price-fixing’ decision against ophthalmologists who agreed to charge the … Continue Reading
