The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that Pharmacy2U’s takeover of its closest competitor LloydsDirect will proceed.

The CMA updated its website today (Tuesday March 12) to declare it has “cleared the completed acquisition,” bringing to a close an investigation that began last October when concerns were raised that the deal could lead to a lessening of competition in the UK distance dispensing market.  

From January 24 until February 12, a temporary enforcement order was in place preventing the companies from taking any steps towards closer integration. Commenting at the time the order was lifted, Pharmacy2U described it as a sign the watchdog had provisionally decided that the sale would not give rise to competition concerns.

Pharmacy2U CEO Kevin Heath said this afternoon: “I am delighted with the outcome of the CMA’s report and I want to personally thank them and both teams at Pharmcy2U and LloydsDirect for assisting the inquiry with the utmost professionalism and transparency during the collaborative process over the past few months.

“We now embark on an exciting journey to bring together the two businesses, who going forward will operate under the Pharmacy2U brand.

“Our patients and the accessible service we offer them remain our top priority through this transition period and beyond.”