It argues that the discounts in question meant infliximab was competitively priced and offered savings to the U.K. National Health Service, without hindering competition.
Tuesday’s statement of objections from the CMA sets out its provisional views and does not mean there has in fact been any breach of competition law.
“The CMA will carefully consider any representations by the company under investigation before determining whether the law has been infringed,” it says in a statement.
The CMA has been increasingly active in pharmaceuticals.
In December last year, it fined Pfizer a record 84.2 million pounds ($109 million) for its role in ramping up the cost of an epilepsy drug. In February 2016, it fined GlaxoSmithKline 37.6 million pounds over deals delaying the launch of generic copies of its antidepressant Seroxat (paroxetine).
