Following a partial referral from the European Commission, the CMA has cleared the merger of pharmaceutical wholesalers AAH and UD Sangers, as well as the overlap between Lloyds Pharmacy and MASTA in relation to travel and flu vaccinations.
CRA supported the parties in demonstrating that the overlap between the parties in relation to vaccinations was limited, with each of the parties having a different business focus, and a substantial amount of competition remaining from independent third parties. This work included a detailed assessment of local overlaps, using information scraped and combined from a number of public sources.
We also assisted in demonstrating that the significant presence of both parties in pharmaceutical distribution in Northern Ireland would not create competition problems, given the parties’ different business models and the response of rivals.
For further details, the CMA’s full decision can be found here.
