Recent UK hospitals merger clearance confirms recent high degree of willingness to accept efficiencies/customer benefits arguments in hospitals merger reviews
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has recently cleared a second hospital merger after only a Phase 1 review (involving an initial 40-day review period) based on the parties’ efficiencies/customer benefits arguments, despite the fact that the CMA believed that the merger may result in a substantial lessening of competition (SLC).
It is quite unusual for the CMA to clear a merger believed to give rise to an SLC risk on the basis of…