Harare - The Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) has approved the merger application by Cerba Healthcare and Lancet.

The commission in their half year media release update, indicated that they approved the merger without conditions since the merger will not substantially lessen any competition in the relevant market.

“The analysis revealed that there was little or no import competition in the medical laboratories market. Foreign companies only complement local laboratories in undertaking complex and specialized tests which cannot be carried out locally. Concentration in the market will not change given that the number of players in the relevant market will remain the same post-merger. The commission established that the merger did not reduce the number of players in Zimbabwe and does not have the effect of removing efficient competition” stated the media release 

According to Cerba HealthCare, the goal of the merger is to expand clinical pathology in Africa and its capacity to deploy a quality service to the medical community.

“We are very excited about working closely with Lancet and its teams. Our common goal is to develop medical services in regions where we are already present and to expand into other countries. Alongside our partner Lancet Laboratories, we are also planning an ambitious investment programme to offer innovative services in clinical pathology that meet the needs of patients, health professionals and healthcare organisations, alongside businesses across the continent,” said Jérôme Thill, deputy chief executive officer of Cerba HealthCare in a statement released earlier this year.

Peter Cole, CEO of Lancet Laboratories, commented: “The broad expertise of both our groups, Cerba HealthCare, a leader in clinical pathology in Europe, and Lancet, a leader in clinical pathology in Southern Africa, coupled with our respective knowledge of the African continent across very different and complementary territories, will be real strengths for our joint venture. We are delighted to partner with Cerba HealthCare and are looking forward to expanding our efforts together and working to improve the health of African citizens.”

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