The decision was based on information that the merger “may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom,” the regulator said March 31.
Bordeaux UK Holdings II — a unit of UnitedHealth’s Optum business — agreed to acquire the U.K.-based EMIS Group in January 2022 in a $1.51 billion deal.
The Competition and Markets Authority began investigating the proposed merger in January, inviting interested parties to submit comments on whether the deal will harm competition.
