CADE orders Hospital Santa Catarina and Unimed Blumenau to notify merger

On 22 October, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) ordered the company Unimed Blumenau to notify within 30 days the mergers involving the purchase and sale of all assets of Hospital Santa Catarina.

CADE launched an administrative procedure for merger review after a complaint made on the Clique Denúncia platform in May 2024.

Upon request from the antitrust agency, Hospital Santa Catarina stated that the transaction was formalised on 24 May 2024, confirming that the merger occurred.

In June 2025, Victor Oliveira Fernandes, rapporteur of the case, issued a preventive measure to maintain the accreditation of healthcare providers, in addition to restoring other accreditations that might have been revoked due to the transaction, until the agency reviews the case.

After the analysis, the rapporteur considered that the transaction fit in the mandatory notification criteria; therefore, the merger should be reviewed by CADE. For this reason, the agency determined a mandatory notification within 30 days.

In case of non-compliance with the notification requirement, each of the parties are subject to pay BRL 5 thousand per day and the financial penalty provided by Article 6 of CADE Resolution no. 24/2019 is to be suspended, until a final decision is issued on the case.

The Tribunal unanimously decided to follow the vote of the rapporteur.

Complaints and agreements at CADE

The authority provides various mechanisms for collaboration with investigations and fight antitrust violations. Citizens, companies, and lawyers can contribute through complaints and leniency agreements.

Anyone can file a complaint with information about anticompetitive practices such as cartels, bid rigging, price fixing, resale price maintenance, among others, through the Clique Denúncia platform, available on CADE’s website. It may be sent anonymously by selecting the option “I do not wish to identify myself.”

In addition, companies or individuals involved in illegal conducts may cooperate with investigations through a leniency agreement, which allows for exemption or reduction of penalties in exchange for the provision of relevant evidence and information. Access the Clique Leniência platform for more information.

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