Pakistan’s competition watchdog finished a Phase-I review and said Citi Pharma buying all of Pakheim International Pharma would not hurt rivalry in key drug markets.
The Competition Commission of Pakistan cleared Citi Pharma Limited’s purchase of all shares in Pakheim International Pharma (Pvt.) Limited on Thursday.
Pakheim will sit as a fully owned unit of the PSX-listed firm (CPHL) once the deal closes.
Reviewers saw product overlap only in antibiotics, painkillers and anti-diabetic medicines, and judged Pakheim’s share too small to matter.
Officials also checked whether Citi Pharma’s API supply could lock out rivals; Pakheim bought none from Citi Pharma in the past two years.
The commission said the deal would not raise entry barriers or cement dominance in the markets it studied.