The Portuguese Competition Authority (AdC) sanctioned a business association and five major laboratory groups with fines totaling €48,610,000 for their involvement in a cartel that operated in the Portuguese market for clinical analyses and COVID-19 tests between 2016 and 2022. The cartel aimed to fix prices and geographically divide the market, leading to more favorable conditions for the laboratories.

The investigation revealed that the laboratories colluded to increase their bargaining power with public and private entities, preventing or delaying price reductions. The AdC granted immunity to the leniency applicant, and two multinational laboratory groups opted for the settlement procedure, paying fines totaling €8,900,000. The AdC imposed immediate cessation of the anti-competitive practices on the entities involved.

The targeted laboratory groups engaged in collusive practices prior to the pandemic, such as boycotting price reductions and promoting general price increases. During the pandemic, they colluded to set prices for COVID tests, threatened boycotts, and coordinated prices for mass testing in schools and travel-related tests.