The UK Competition Authority closes its investigation into an allegedly abusive discount scheme in the pharmaceutical sector (Remicade)

The CMA Remicade decision: discount schemes and abuse of dominance – effects matter!* Summary On 14 March 2019, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided to close its investigation into a discount scheme by Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD). [1] The CMA concluded that there were no grounds for it to take action, since MSD’s discount strategy was not likely to limit competition in anticipation of the market entry of competitive products. In other words, when analysing a discount, the CMA looked at the likelihood of it having exclusionary effects. Since it found no such likelihood, the investigation was closed. Background In December 2015, the CMA opened a formal investigation, alleging that MSD had abused its dominant position by offering a discount scheme for the