The investigation, as Ehandel.se previously reported, was initiated after the Competition Authority requested information from the companies last year. The review covers Apotea, Apoteket, Apotek Hjärtat and Kronans Apotek. The suspected violation of regulations applies to the period 2019–2022 and is based on suspicions that the pharmacy chains had an agreement not to purchase search word advertising in connection with each other's brands.
According to the Competition Authority, a formal decision is expected to take at least another six months, but the authority is now entering the next phase of the process.
We know better what we suspect and are now aiming to write intervention decisions against the remaining companies, says Hanna Lekås, head of unit at the Competition Authority.
Denies the Allegations
Apotea has previously stated that they are fully cooperating with the authority, but management denies that the company has violated any competition rules.
The legal situation is very unclear and we do not believe that we have acted incorrectly, says Apotea's Deputy CEO Stefan Eriksson.
Precedent from Online Doctors
Should the Competition Authority decide on an intervention, it could result in a claim for damages for competition infringement. Apotea has already warned that they cannot rule out that the investigation will lead to fines.
As Ehandel.se reported in spring 2025, three online doctor companies were convicted in a similar case. After a multi-year investigation, Doktor.se, Min Doktor and Doktor24 were sentenced to pay a total of SEK 26.5 million in fines for illegal cooperation regarding search word advertising.